??Patriots safety Devin McCourty got a closer look at James Harrison when the linebacker strolled through the locker room on Wednesday.It
left an impression.“He’s a well put together human being. Scary-looking some
would probably say
Adidas Nolan Patrick Jersey ,” McCourty said.The Patriots’ deal with the former Steelers star also raised some eyebrows in Pittsburgh, where some of his
former teammates voiced their displeasure with the circumstances surrounding his
departure on Saturday.“He erased himself; he erased his own legacy here. Let’s
be serious,” Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey said Wednesday. “It’s crazy. He
wanted that. It wasn’t like the team said, ‘We want to let go of James
Harrison.’ James Harrison wanted that.”The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Harrison was
unavailable for comment after his first practice with New England. He is
expected to address reporters for the first time on Friday.Regardless of what
led to his exit from Pittsburgh, just how much of an impact the 39-year-old
Harrison can have with his new team remains to be seen.The two-time Super Bowl
champion has competed against Tom Brady and New England during his 15 NFL
seasons. Now he is in position to help the Patriots
Rams John Kelly Jersey , who have faced the Steelers in the AFC championship game three times since 2001.He is Pittsburgh’s career leader in sacks, piling up
80 1/2 during his 14 seasons with the Steelers and 82 1/2 during his career. He
briefly retired in September 2014 following a forgettable season in Cincinnati
but returned when the Steelers ran into injury trouble.He joins a New England
team that needs a victory over the visiting New York Jets on Sunday to clinch
home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.“We’ll see. I don’t know,” Patriots
coach Bill Belichick said of his expectations for Harrison. “We’ll get out there
this week and see how it goes. I’m not really sure how it’s going to go.”No one
is quite sure what Harrison has left in his tank. He has appeared in just five
games and played a total of 38 snaps this season, posting only one sack.Anything
he could provide would be helpful, though.New England’s defense has been racked
by injuries this season. Fourteen different players have lined up at either
linebacker of defensive end. It entered the week ranked 26nd in rushing defense
and 29th in passing defense.Linebacker Trey Flowers, who leads New England with
6 1/2 sacks
Dolphins Jason Sanders Jersey , said there’s no limit to what he can learn from a veteran like Harrison.“Everything really,” Flowers said. “He’s been doing
it a long time. Very physical player. Obviously, in the weight room, just being
able to keep his body strong and things like that. So, just a whole lot. …
Anytime you get a vet that’s been doing it a long time, you can learn a lot from
him.”NOTES: Brady sat out practice Wednesday with left shoulder and Achilles
tendon injuries. Defensive lineman Alan Branch and running backs Rex Burkhead
and Mike Gillislee all sat out with knee injuries. … Receiver Malcolm Mitchell
returned to practice for the first time since he went on injured reserve Sept.
7.AP freelance reporter Chris Adamski in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.
If the Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers are even in points
John Franklin-Myers Color Rush Jersey , regulation and overtime wins, and goal differential at the end of the season, they will play a one-game
tiebreaker to determine who goes to the playoffs.
The NHL announced the unlikely but possible tiebreaker Friday as Philadelphia had one game and Florida two remaining. For the tiebreaker to happen on Tuesday,
the Flyers would need to lose their regular-season finale Saturday against the
New York Rangers by exactly two goals and the Panthers would need to beat the
Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins in a shootout Saturday and Sunday.
In that case, Philadelphia and Florida would each have 39 regulation/overtime wins and a plus-1 goal differential over the season, since a shootout victory
counts as a goal. The teams split their season series (which by rule eliminates
the odd game between them to even out home ice) and the league does not have any
further tiebreakers.
Philadelphia has 96 points to Florida’s 92 and needs just a point against New York to clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
This most recently happened in 2000 when the NHL announced Montreal and Buffalo would play a tiebreaking game if they finished the season tied for the
final spot in the East. It did not come down to that
Josh Jackson Jersey Elite , but it’s the precedent the league used to make this decision.
The league contacted the teams and the NHL Players’ Association before announcing the plan. After a coin flip was the mechanism in 2000, a lottery
machine such as the one that determines the top three draft picks would be used
this time to decide which team gets home-ice advantage.
Panthers general manager Dale Tallon declined comment and a Flyers spokesman said GM Ron Hextall was not speaking about the tiebreaker.
Given the tightness of the standings in the East and West, it’s likely this situation spawns a longer list of tiebreakers beginning next season. Records
against common opponents and within the conference could be used, as they are in
the NFL.
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