Only for Guild Members » Tampa Bay tied it at 2 on a pinch-hit

History and Controversy in Week 2 The Ottawa Redblacks will go through a lot of firsts this year. Sam Darnold Jets Jersey . On Thursday we witnessed the first game played by the new franchise, the first touchdown scored, (Chevon Walker, who will one day be the answer to a trivia question), and almost the first win. The Henry Burris-led expansion franchise got out to a 14-point first quarter lead, but couldnt hold on against a Blue Bomber team that is for real. More on the Bombers shortly, but it was fantastic to see and call a game involving Ottawa again. Football teams in our nations capital never had bad fans, just bad owners, and that is not the case this time around. The business model is sound, the league is strong, and football fans in Ottawa can trust that this team will be around for decades to come, and get emotionally invested. The players on this team are certainly "all in". They played hard, on the road, in a hostile environment, and almost got it done. It wont be long until we see some more firsts. Like the first game at home which is already sold out on July 18, and based on Thursdays game it wont be long until we see their first win. The Real Deal Now to the Bombers, and yes they are for real! On paper there still may be some who are suggesting other teams in the league are more talented, or maybe more experienced. However, this is a "what have you done for me lately?" business so experience only helps you if you are executing. Also, at the pro level every player is talented, and the difference between winning and losing is smaller than third and inches, so the culture you create for those talented players is what gives you the edge. The difference in Winnipeg this year is that head coach Michael OShea is a team first guy to the core. It oozes out of him when he talks and it is the main reason the Bombers are off to a 2-0 start. Yes, Drew Willy has looked excellent and they have found a tailback in Nic Grigsby but lots of teams have good QBs and tailbacks. OShea is teaching that the team is the priority and that all decisions must be made with the team considered before any personal agendas. It sounds simple but there are many examples of coaches that couldnt get the message across to their players. OShea has not been perfect. He kicked around the handling of veteran Korey Banks for longer than he had to, but his teams record is perfect so far, and that is what matters more than anything. Oh, and in the end the Bombers new head coach did eventually make the right decision when it came to Banks when he cut him loose. Banks wasnt happy with his role and that may have affected the culture in the locker room. By cutting Banks and letting him continue his career somewhere else, OShea made a team-first decision. Reaction to Willis hit on Collaros There are lots of differing opinions on the hit from Odell Willis of the Edmonton Eskimos on Zach Collaros of the Ticats. On one side there are those that argue the game is fast, physical and played by tough men who know what they signed up for, which is all true. It is an old school mentality and its not wrong. However, we live in a new world where player safety has become a priority in contact sports. Finding ways to make hockey and football safer for those who participate is not just dominating league meetings, but is also very important to the players associations. So what about the hit from Willis? First, it looked like the Esks defensive end did try and turn his head and avoid helmet-to-helmet contact. Second, it also looked like he tried to lead with his shoulder, therefore you can assume that there was no intent to target Collaros head. It is also true that if there is a penalty flag thrown every time helmets collide than there would be a penalty called on every play. Having said all of that, if in fact Willis did contact the head of Collaros - whether it was an accident or not - a penalty had to be called. Many times a defensive player gets pushed or trips into the quarterbacks legs accidentally, and that has to be called as well. The league will also review the hit and there could be supplementary discipline handed down in the form of a fine. It is no longer acceptable to say that it is a tough game and things happen at light speed so you have to let the guys play. Improving player safety is priority number one, and has become a legal issue. In fact you could take the discussion even further. The Players Associations in hockey and football are negotiating the player safety agenda into new CBA agreements, and yet dont self-govern when it comes to questionable hits in a game. How many times have we heard the CFLPA announce that they are appealing a fine by the league on a player who has made a questionable hit? It happens virtually every time a player is fined or suspended. Meanwhile the player that took the hit, in this case Zach Collaros, missed the rest of the game and could possibly miss more due to concussion issues. How many times has the Players Association announced a fine within their own organization to a player/member for a questionable hit? That to my knowledge has never happened. The players associations in contact sports have got to start imposing their own fines to players that cross the line, and show the league that improving player safety is not just the responsibility of the leagues head office, but the associations as well. It looks like the hit by Willis was an accident with no intent, but it was to the head of a quarterback, and that is a penalty and should also result in a fine. There is no provision in the rule book that says, "if the player hits a quarterback in the head by accident, or if he didnt mean to do it, then the hit becomes legal." The only way that Willis could avoid a fine here is if the league determines that Collaros didnt actually get hit in the head but it was the whiplash effect that caused his concussion symptoms, and of the TV angles shown so far that doesnt seem feasible. The tougher rules in contact sports these days are designed to change the behaviour of players to protect them from themselves. Those rules are not going away anytime soon, in fact they are getting tougher. We might as well all get used to it and drop the tough guy talk. If the league lets the Willis hit go without supplementary discipline, it will set a precedent for every other time a defensive player hits the head of a quarterback accidentally. There cant be any more grey area. If a defensive player hits the head of a QB, it is a penalty and a fine or suspension - thats the new reality of football. So much so, it is hard to see why there was even a debate on this hit in the first place. Isaiah Crowell Jets Jersey . 31-Feb. 2. While organizers havent decided if itll be red or green clay, they feel their choice of surface will give the Americans an advantage over Britain, which is expected to be led by defending Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. Nathan Shepherd Jersey . "Last year we were in a ton of situations, late-game situations we couldnt pull out. Wed kind of fold under the pressure, get frustrated or let a big shot frustrate us," guard DeMar DeRozan said. http://www.jetsrookiestore.com/Customized/ . She was a pioneer. She did things on skis that made the birds take notice. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Adam Jones knew the home runs would come and they did as the Baltimore Orioles kept up their strong start against Tampa Bay. Jones hit a pair of first-pitch solo homers and Jonathan Schoop launched a tiebreaking, two-run shot that sent the Orioles over the Rays 4-3 on Wednesday night. "Felt good to get the ball out of the infield," said Jones, who entered with just one homer this season. "Youve got to keep swinging, got to stay after it." Schoops drive in the seventh inning off Brandon Gomes (2-2) put the Orioles ahead 4-2. "Its really nice, especially to come through there and to get a W," Schoop said. Jones hit leadoff homers in both the second and fourth off Cesar Ramos. It was his fourth multihomer game. "I just put some good swings on some pitches that I should have driven and I drove them," Jones said. "Thats the rule of thumb. If its right down the middle you might as well hit it." Jones didnt get the chance to face Ramos a third time when Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon brought in Gomes, who got a fly from the Orioles slugger with two outs in the sixth. "You didnt want to keep pressing your luck right there," Maddon said. "Jones had some good at-bats. I loved Gomes on that part of the batting order." David DeJesus homered for the Rays, who have dropped the first two games of a three-game series and are 0-4 overall against the Orioles this season. Ryan Webb (1-0) went 1 1-3 scoreless innings for the win. Tommy Hunter struggled for the second straight game, pitching the ninth for his 10th save. One day after working out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in a 5-3 win, Hunter again ran into trouble in the ninth. Wil Myers led off with a doublle, moved up on Yunel Escobars one-out single and scored on a single by Ryan Hanigan. Avery Williamson Jets Jersey. Ben Zobrist then had a soft lineout and Desmond Jennings lined back to Hunter. "Were winning ballgames and thats the bottom line," Hunter said. "You would like it to go a little smoother. Id liked to have a clean frame, make it nice and easy for everybody, but thats not the way its going right now." DeJesus cut the Rays deficit to 2-1 on a solo homer off Bud Norris in the fifth. DeJesus has three homers in 15 at-bats against the Orioles right-hander. Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters was out of the starting lineup after making a trip earlier in the day to Pensacola to have his sore right elbow examined by Dr. James Andrews. While it was determined that Wieters would avoid the disabled list, he will likely be limited to designated hitter duty for a period of time. Tampa Bay tied it at 2 on a pinch-hit RBI single by Sean Rodriguez during the sixth. Both Norris and Ramos gave up two runs and three hits in 5 2-3 innings. NOTES: Baltimore purchased the contract from Triple-A Norfolk of catcher Caleb Joseph, who went 0 for 3 in his major league debut. ... Baltimore RF Nick Markakis extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a first-inning single. ... Orioles 1B Chris Davis (strained left oblique) ran sprints, threw and hit in an indoor cage. ... Baltimore OF Francisco Pequero (right wrist) is set to start a minor league rehab assignment Friday with Norfolk. ... Orioles RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (1-4) and Rays LHP David Price (3-2) are the scheduled starters for the series finale Thursday night. ... Price has 55 strikeouts and five walks in 48 2-3 innings this season. ... The Rays are 6-1 in one-run games. Cheap Capitals Jerseys Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Blues Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Wholesale Flames Jerseys Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Oilers Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys ' ' '