NEW ORLEANS -- Jimmy Graham didnt hesitate to punctuate a pair of touchdown catches with the goal post-rattling, basketball-style dunks that led the NFL to
ban such celebrations coming into this season.
T. J. Watt
Jersey . Both times, Graham drew penalty flags for unsportsmanlike
conduct. With relatively little at stake in preseason game No. 2 on Friday
night, the crowd roared its approval, and the Saints went on to beat the
Tennessee Titans, 31-24. Saints coach Sean Payton, however, wasnt amused after
Grahams second dunk, barking at the star tight end as he came to the sideline.
Following the game, Graham fled the locker room without speaking to reporters.
Payton, meanwhile, said he was "particularly" upset with Grahams penalties, but
also with much of the team after the Saints (2-0) drew 22 flags for 184 yards.
"Obviously, that was painful to watch," Payton said. "Its the first sign of a
team that has no discipline, and thats the first sign of poor coaching. ... Im
very upset." After holding out the entire off-season for his four-year, $40
million contract, Graham appeared to be in fine form with five catches for 48
yards in limited action, including his TDs of 6 and 19 yards from Luke McCown.
While Payton lost patience with Grahams insistence upon continuing his post-TD
dunks, Grahams teammates appeared conflicted, considering it was a preseason
game. "I understand Jimmys frustration with that rule change," veteran right
tackle Zach Strief said. "I dont think Jimmy is a selfish player. ... Its
selfish in a real game. I dont think Jimmy is like that. I think that was his
one opportunity to make it his statement on it." Last year, one such dunk bent a
goal post out of place, delaying a regular-season game. "Look, one time in 40
years a goal post gets tilted and all of a sudden we have to change the rules?"
Strief said. "People love Jimmy because he gets excited and they love him
because he celebrates. The fans love that stuff. And Jimmy is frustrated because
theyre taking something away that ... adds entertainment to the game." The
penalties after both celebrations were enforced on the kickoff, resulting in
returns to the Tennessee 38 and 36 by the Titans Marc Mariani. Tennessee (1-1)
scored touchdowns on both drives. There were some developments which pleased
Payton. The Saints defence had five turnovers and four sacks. Offensively, New
Orleans produced several long gains, including completions of 52 and 44 yards
from Ryan Griffin to Joe Morgan, who missed all of last season with a knee
injury. "It was encouraging that (Morgan) got behind the defence and was able to
make a few plays that weve seen him make prior to his injury," Payton said. The
Titans were competitive early when both teams starters were on the field.
Starting quarterback Jake Locker was 8 of 11 for 75 yards and a touchdown on a
4-yard touch pass along the sideline to Justin Hunter, who made a leaping grab
over cornerback Corey White. "It was great to see the way we came out and
started," Locker said. "It was something we can definitely build off of." Hunter
also was on the receiving end of Zach Mettenbergers first touchdown pass as a
pro. Mettenberger entered the game earlier than expected after second-string QB
Charlie Whitehurst was shaken up on a sack by Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro. The
crowd cheered the former LSU quarterback when he took the field. "That was a
pleasant surprise," Mettenberger said. Mettenberger completed his first series
by rifling a pass over the middle to Hunter, who raced off for a 64-yard score.
Mettenberger finished 20 of 25 for 269 yards, but was also intercepted once and
fumbled once. Hunter had four catches for 111 yards. "We played OK, but we just
turned the ball over way too much and ultimately that led to a loss,"
Mettenberger said. "Offensively we did a lot of good things but weve got a lot
to clean up." Undrafted rookie kicker Travis Coons made a 50-yard field goal for
Tennessee. One of Tennessees fumbles may have cost more than a turnover. Running
back Shonn Greene, who has had right knee surgery twice, appeared to favour his
right leg after being stripped by Vaccaro. McCown started for Brees, who missed
his second exhibition game while resting his sore abdomen, and was 12 of 20 for
117 yards. Griffin finished 13 of 19 for 179 yards with touchdown passes of 23
yards to Mark Ingram and 3 yards to Seantavious Jones.
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Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors reserve centre Ognjen Kuzmic is expected
to miss at least six weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured right hand.
JuJu
Smith-Schuster Youth Jersey . I kind of got a taste of being able to pick
a suit with the draft lottery, I went with the bow tie.
http://www.steelerspronfl.com/Youth-JuJu-Smith-Schuster-Elite-Jersey/ . -- Rory McIlroy birdied his last two holes Thursday for a 7-under 63 to take
the lead after one round of the Honda Classic.Watching the Montreal Canadiens
lose goaltender Carey Price to injury this week reminded me of what I often
think is the great weakness of North American sports. The reliance of
individuals in team sports. Hockey is obsessed with goaltenders. A team loses
and the first place people look at for blame is in between the pipes. Baseball?
As they say, momentum is all about the next days starting pitcher. NFL? Find an
elite quarterback if you want to win the Super Bowl and stop using Trent Dilfer
as an example (unless you can find one of the greatest defences to go alongside
him). Basketball? You wont find many NBA championship teams that doesnt feature
a current or future hall of famer. The global game of soccer is often very
different, as the achievements of Atletico Madrid this week have shown. A sport
that is so reliant on teamwork rarely allows a figurehead to rise to such
prominence to make a championship be about them. Sure, domestic leagues have
outstanding players who take over games, weeks, even months of a campaign, but
without their teammates they are just one man with a ball at their feet. Even
the greatest players in the world today are surrounded by players close to their
level that allows them to perform brilliantly so often. For some reason,
however, every four years many forget the common sense around this belief and
two words are the reason for it. World Cup. There have only been nineteen of
these in history and, specifically for the last 16 of them, it has been
considered as the ultimate thing in the sport to win. However, the World Cup is
not without its failings. Many games produce predictable, sterile games
dominated by defensive-minded teams, unable to replicate the teamwork earned by
club teams over long periods of time, who, subsequently, know its far easier to
stop than score. It is a tournament that lasts one month every four years. The
best team plays seven games and does not even have to win them all. Yet, because
it is so short in time and so infrequent on the games calendar, the World Cup
cares little for reputations, instead choosing to make them. This allows the
sport to be much more North American in terms of individuals stamping their
authority on it. With this in mind, collectively, we owe it to future
generations to be extremely careful with the evidence provided (and this is not
always easy with the lack of video available to us once the tournament ends).
First of all we must remember that players can have excellent tournaments
without actually winning it. This rule is for all, not just for those you didnt
expect to win it anyway. Take Lionel Messis 2010 World Cup. Many adjectives have
been used to describe this including poor and disappointing. What nonsense.
Messi was excellent in South Africa but because he didnt score a goal some
thought he was disappointing. When his out-of-his-depth manager, Diego Maradona,
decided to play without a central midfield, Argentina were sent home packing in
the quarterfinals. They never had a chance of winning the World Cup and none of
that fell on the shoulders of Messi. Since leaving South Africa, Messi, with
Barcelona, has won everything there is to win in club football, and added three
more Ballon DOr awards. He has consistently succeeded in the most competitive
tournament, the Champions League, the sport has to offer. He is described by
many as one of the greatest players to play the game but suddenly he is removed
from such a camp, by some, the closer a World Cup gets to starting, when a new
hurdle is put in his path to reach the pantheon of greatness; a hurdle he simply
cannot jump himself.
JuJu
Smith-Schuster Steelers Jersey. Messis countryman, Ossie Ardiles, who won
the World Cup in 1978, hit the headlines last week with this gem of a quote: "To
be considered alongside the top, top guys like Pele and Diego Maradona and so
on, Messi not only needs to be in the World Cup but to win it." Mr Ardiles isnt
the only one who feels this way, of course, and in fact there is an alarming
chance he is in the majority rather than the minority when it comes to this
topic. What a pity. And while we are on this quote, who is so on exactly? When
Pele played, the World Cup was everything. He changed the sport and is arguably
the greatest player to play the game. The World Cup made him the global star
that he simply couldnt reach himself at Santos. Maradona graced four World Cups
and is forever remembered as the face of Mexico 1986. It is fitting for a man so
talented that he had that event to catapult him towards the legends of the game
but many who celebrate Maradonas greatness, because of those 30 days in Mexico,
often, conveniently, forget his 1982 and 1994 World Cups ended in disgrace.
1990? Dont let their runner-up spot fool you. His team was even worse than
Messis 2010 side and his performances werent even close to the ones shown by
Barcelonas current star in South Africa. There is no disputing Maradonas
greatness on the field but if the guardians of football history and,
subsequently, the makers of reputations are going to base so much on what
happens at World Cups then they need to be fair about it. In a sport that cares
so often about who wins and loses this seems like an impossible task. Only one
team can lift the trophy when it all finishes on July 11. Of course, Messi will
be considered as one of the true greats if that team proves to be Argentina but
why should we wait to find out what some of his flawed teammates can do for him
before we give him such an honour? Just because Maradona, Pele and so on won the
World Cup? The game is full of true, elite greats who never did. Pele and
Maradona call Alfredo Di Stefano the most complete player ever and what of Johan
Cruyff, who was magnificent in the 1974 World Cup and did everything but win the
tournament? Rather than holding the World Cup to a higher standard that some
cannot reach, those who lean on individual quality, should enjoy its beauty at
producing other stars whose solo acts can carry their teams far. Garrincha,
Eusebio, Cruyff, Paolo Rossi, Toto Schillaci, Roberto Baggio, Romario, Davor
Sukur, Ronaldo, Oliver Kahn, Fabio Cannavaro, Diego Forlan and David Villa are
just some examples of that. Some won, some didnt. Some are true greats, some
arent. Their reputations were enhanced by their World Cup play but also because
their team was able to get to the final week of the event. Neither Messi or
Cristiano Ronaldo needs to win a World Cup to be graced amongst the greatest
ever. It appears, before the tournament already starts, that Ronaldo doesnt have
the team to get him to the trophy, and if the tournament proves the same for
Argentina why should Messi be judged differently to Ronaldo? This special group,
created by the likes of Ardiles, that features Maradona, Pele and so on is a
hindrance to football history and an ignorance to the game itself.
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