KANSAS CITY, Mo.
Mens Nike Zoom Hypercross Black/Fluorescence Green Training Shoes . -- In many ways, it was a dream, going from 2-14 and the first overall pick in the NFL draft to 11-5 and a spot in the playoffs. Yet it ended in just about the most nightmarish way possible, a second-half collapse and another round of post-season heartache. No wonder the Kansas City Chiefs had such a hard time summarizing their season in the minutes and hours after a gut-wrenching 45-44 loss at Indianapolis on Saturday. "You know, I certainly think you use this as drive," Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said Sunday between wrap-up meetings. "I think its good to be playing in these types of games. I think these types of games are contagious. You go back to playing in just regular-season games, you want that itch. You have that urge to try to get to these types of games. "I certainly think that foundation has been laid for next year." The Chiefs have lost a record eight straight post-season games, their last victory coming after the 1993 season. Most of the current members of the team were in grade school, some of them still in diapers, the last time Kansas City tasted any success in games that truly matter. It appeared for most of three quarters Saturday that things would be different. Kansas City had raced to a 31-10 halftime lead, and then took advantage of an interception early in the third quarter to tack on a touchdown that several Chiefs would say later should have sealed the game. The problem was that they started playing as if the game was in hand, while Andrew Luck and the playoff-tested Colts started to play as though they had nothing to lose. The result was a furious second-half rally, one made possible by unconscionable breakdowns by a defence that was spectacular during a 9-0 start. Luck torched a secondary that wilted when it faced premier quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers, and his 64-yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton with 4:21 left finished off the second-biggest comeback in NFL playoff history. "I sat there and talked to them this morning and there were a lot of long faces," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Sunday. "They had their hearts ripped out. I can work with that. "They should hurt," Reid said. "Thatll make us better." The last time the Chiefs won a playoff game, Joe Montana was the quarterback and the Titans were still the Oilers. Since then, there have been all manner of playoff heartbreaks: -- The Chiefs missed three field goals against Indianapolis after the 1995 season, when they had gone 13-3 during the regular season and harboured championship aspirations. -- Two years later, the Chiefs lost a 14-10 heartbreaker to the Denver Broncos, who would go on to beat the Green Bay Packers and win the Super Bowl. -- After the 2003 season, the Chiefs lost again to the Colts in a game featuring two of the leagues premier offences -- and in which nobody punted. But the way that Kansas City melted down Saturday may trump all of those disappointments. "Its hard to put in words, to lose a game that we clearly had control over," said linebacker Derrick Johnson, who is now 0-3 in playoff games in his nine-year career. "Coming from having the first pick last year to making the playoff this year, we did accomplish some things," Johnson said. "At the same time, our standard is very high and this one hurts." While players were going through final meetings Sunday, Reid met briefly with reporters at the teams practice facility. He said that no changes are planned for his coaching staff, though he did acknowledge that some of his assistants would be pursued by other teams. Reid also said it was too early to discuss personnel issues. The Chiefs have most of their key players already under contract for next season. Their biggest loss figures to be left tackle Branden Albert, whom they gave the franchise tag to this season. But even he may be allowed to leave in free agency with viable replacements already in house. Theyll be seeking help at wide receiver and in the defensive backfield in free agency and the draft, but for the most part, the Chiefs should return intact next season. When they make another run at ending two decades of playoff futility.
Nike Lunarglide 4 Womens . With one minute and twenty-six seconds on the clock in the first period of the Leafs preseason finale against Detroit, Lombardi stepped onto the ice at Air Canada Centre.
Nike Shox R4 Uk NEWARK, N.J. -- The Detroit Red Wings made the most of their offensive opportunities against the New Jersey Devils on Friday. "It was a game that was offensively challenged by both teams," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said after his Red Wings beat the Devils 3-1. Johan Franzen and Tomas Tatar scored third-period goals Detroit, which has won five of six. Joakim Andersson also scored and Jonas Gustavsson made 10 saves for the Red Wings. "(The Red Wings have) to keep (winning). Tough without big guys but its important to see we can win without them," Franzen said. "(Its) big for us to see we can win without them." Cory Schneider made 18 saves for New Jersey, which has lost three in a row. "We didnt play our best game of the year," Steve Bernier said. "There (are) a lot of bad things around right now, but we need to focus on the good things." The Red Wings finished with 21 shots while the Devils only had 11. The 11 shots tied a New Jersey franchise record for fewest shots in a home game. "We didnt cash in (on) some of our chances. We have to be opportunistic. We have to find a way to score two or three and we didnt do that," New Jersey coach Pete DeBoer said. "Its easy to look at the shot clock and say that (11 shots on goal is not enough). Weve generated 21 shots and generated the same amount of scoring chances. (If the shot clock says) 21, you feel better about it? It doesnt matter." Andy Greene scored for the Devils. Franzen snapped a 1-1 tie when he scored his ninth of the season with 7:20 left in the third. Standing in the low slot, Franzen poked a Gustav Nyquist pass past Schneider. "Its always hard to defend when you change sides for the defender so I tried and sneak around the back post and found it through the crease," Franzen said of his goal. New Jersey led 1-0 at the first intermission on Greenes fourth goal of the season. Having drawn a high-sticking call on Franzen, Greene weaved his way through all three zones before finishing a give-and-go with Patrik Elias by tipping a centring pass under Gustavsson 13:43 into the game. "It wasnt our best period but we came out the way we did against a good team (and) we have to take that and build off it. We just couldnt seem (to) build off it and get it gooing," Greene said.
Nike Blazer Mid Premium Mens Suede Shoes Deep Blue/White . "They were kind of sitting back on the drop pass, before I gave it to Patty. Tried to make the play to Patty and he made a great saucer over to me, and (I) just tried to hang with it to get it over his pad." The power-play goal was the only one New Jersey scored on four opportunities with the man advantage. Detroit drew even at 1-1 after Andersson scored with 36 seconds left in the second period. The scoring sequence began when Daniel Alfredsson fired a diagonal cross-ice pass to Drew Miller from the blue line. Miller attempted two backhands which Schneider stopped, but the New Jersey goaltender was unable to stop Anderssons jam shot. The goal was the fourth of the season for Andersson. The game stayed tied until Franzens goal. Tatars power-play score at 18:57 of the third was Detroits only goal on five attempts with the man advantage. The power play was assessed when Schneider was called for playing the puck outside of the trapezoid. New Jersey disputed the call and replays showed the goaltender was inside the trapezoid. "I dont know," DeBoer said when asked if the NHL should institute an instant replay system on disputed judgment calls. "Im not looking to solve it, just get it right." Both Detroit and New Jersey were content to take away the middle of the ice and, as a result, neither team generated much offensively. "I dont think it was any tighter than any other game," the Devils Travis Zajac said. We just didnt execute coming out of our own end sometimes. For us, we have to play in the other end. "We (needed) to elevate our game as it went on and we didnt." NOTES: Detroit improved to 49-56-21-0 against the New Jersey franchise. ... Following the morning skate, DeBoer announced right wing Damien Brunner would be scratched. Brunner, signed to a two-year, $2.5 million during training camp, has not scored a goal since Oct. 26, a stretch of 16 games. ... Devils left wing Ryane Clowe participated in the morning skate, marking the first time he skated with the team since being concussed by a Jacob Trouba elbow in the Devils 3-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 13. ... Red Wings stars Pavel Datsyuk (concussion) and Henrik Zetterberg (herniated disc) missed their second game in a row with injuries.
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