Only for Guild Members » You can’t look backwards

(SportsNetwork. Josh Malone Jersey .com) - A funny thing happened on the way to the latest incarnation of the storied Tom Brady-Peyton Manning rivalry, Andrew Luck decided to crash the party. The heir apparent to the NFLs elite quarterback club will lead his upstart Indianapolis Colts into Foxborough on Sunday to face off against football royalty -- Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots -- in the AFC Championship Game. The Luck-led Colts will be trying to avenge a Week 11 42-20 thumping at the hands of the Pats in the Jonas Gray game, where the little-used former Notre Dame star broke onto the national scene, rushing for 202 of New Englands 246 rushing yards. The contest will also mark the fifth time since 2003 that New England and Indy will be meeting in the postseason and the third time in which they will play in the AFC title game, a rivalry ignited by the Brady/Manning feud. The Pats and Colts split matchups for the AFC crown, after the 2003 (New England) and 2006 seasons (Indy), in which each winner moved on to capture the Super Bowl. Thats what you play for, Belichick said. You play to win your division, you play to be in the postseason and then you play to be in the AFC Championship Game and then you see what happens after that. Thats what its all about. That what you work all year for, its to get to this point. In last years divisional round, Luck got his first chance against Belichick and Brady and it was much like the Week 11 game, a 43-22 Pats win as New England rushed for 234 yards and six touchdowns. Overall the Patriots have won each of their past five meetings with Indianapolis and are averaging 41.2 points per game in those contests. Luck has been at the controls for three of those affairs and the Colts have been routed each time, being outscored 144-66. New England advanced to its 11th AFC Championship Game -- and its ninth with Belichick and Brady at the helm -- with a 35-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens last Saturday when Brady threw for 367 three touchdown passes, the last of which was a go-ahead 23-yard strike to Brandon LaFell with 5:13 remaining. Bradys yardage total and 33 completions in 50 attempts each shattered his own franchise records for a playoff game, while the three-time Super Bowl champs connection with LaFell gave him 46 career postseason touchdown passes to break the leagues all-time record held by Bradys boyhood idol, Joe Montana. He also ran for a touchdown. Hes a pretty good quarterback, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs admitted when talking about Brady. He sat in there and made the plays they needed him to make. Belichick, meanwhile, moved into a tie with Hall of Fame mentor Tom Landry for the most postseason wins by a head coach with 20. Rob Gronkowski caught one of Bradys touchdown throws in a 7-reception, 108- yard effort. Danny Amendola finished with a pair of touchdown grabs for New England, including a 51-yard catch from wide receiver Julian Edelman on a trick play in the third quarter, the longest in postseason history by a non- quarterback. Thankfully well be playing next week, Belichick said. Its great to have Tom (Brady) and his ability and his poise and presence as our quarterback. Obviously hes done a tremendous job throughout the years. Theres no quarterback Id rather have than Tom Brady. Luck, meanwhile, led the Colts to a 24-13 win at Denver last Sunday and has now won three of his past four postseason starts. He threw for 265 yards and two touchdown passes against the Broncos and now has 1,703 passing yards in the postseason, the most by any player in his first five career playoff games, surpassing the previous mark set by Kurt Warner (1,644). Were playing good team ball, said Luck, who has guided Indianapolis to the postseason in each of his first three NFL seasons. Were feeding off each other. Im so proud to be a part of it. Luck, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, is supposed to be good, though. The Colts defense was the big surprise, limiting the high-powered Broncos to 288 total yards, including just 200 net passing yards. During the regular season, Denver averaged 402.9 total yards per game and 291.3 passing yards. The defense did a heck of a job and its fun watching them making plays, said Luck. I know we feed off their energy and Id like to think they feed off of us and special teams. It was truly three phases working together, but, what a great job we did defensively. The Colts will be appearing in their fourth AFC Championship Game since 2003 and won the past two with Manning at the controls. The club knows winning in Foxborough wont be easy, however. The Patriots are a great, great team, said Indianapolis head coach Chuck Pagano. Hall of Fame coach. Hall of Fame quarterback. We all know how hard it is to win there. We know it will be a tall order but its going to be a great opportunity for our guys. Well continue to embrace this opportunity and prepare accordingly. New England leads its all-time series with the Colts by a significant 49-29 margin, including a 3-1 mark in postseason. WHAT TO WATCH FOR The Patriots are as playoff-tested as it gets. Brady will be making his NFL record ninth conference championship appearance and Belichick is on the verge of surpassing Landry for the most postseason triumphs. A victory over Indy here would be New Englands eighth Super Bowl berth, matching Pittsburgh and Dallas for the most ever. Were very fortunate to be in this position to have a chance to play in (the title game), Brady said. I think more than anything, youre just excited for the opportunity to be able to do it. Its hard to do and our team found a way to get there this year so hopefully we can take advantage of the opportunity. The Indy offense is obviously the teams strength and finished third in the NFL with 406.6 ypg but was No. 1 overall in passing with 305.9 of those yards coming through the air thanks to Luck, who is just the eighth QB in NFL history to toss 40 TDs in a season. The Stanford product has 12,957 passing yards since entering the league in 2012, the most of any player in their first three seasons. In the playoffs, Luck is the first player in NFL history to pass for 250-or-more yards in each of his first five postseason games. Luck has a plethora of weapons starting with the speedy T.Y. Hilton, who amassed a career-high 1,345 receiving yards with 1,159 of them coming after the first month. He also excels in the playoffs as Hilton has 568 career receiving yards in five postseason contests. Meanwhile tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener each had eight TD receptions in the regular season. The Pats are expected to try to slow down Hilton by shadowing him with All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis, who is itching for a bounce back game after a rare down performance against the Ravens. You never know what Belichick is thinking, though, and the innovative mentor could use Revis to completely shut down veteran Reggie Wayne or Hakeem Nicks and use bracket coverage to stunt Hilton. Belichicks plans have worked well in the past against Luck, who has completed just 53.8 percent of his passes and amassed a dismal 67.7 passer rating in his previous three games against New England. Id like to think I am a better quarterback and would like to think were a better team, Luck said when asked about his prior difficulties against the Pats.We are well equipped to handle the unknown, the unforeseen. Belichick rarely rests on his past laurels, however, aware with the notion that what worked yesterday will not necessarily be sufficient for everything that is thrown at you tomorrow. If (Luck) extends the play, then he has the ability to create big plays, Belichick said. Weve seen him do that multiple times throughout his career already. Its another guy you have to defend in the running game, the passing game in terms of his ability to scramble and make first-down yardage on possession-type downs. And he makes good decisions, so all those things are a problem. What Luck doesnt have, though, is a consistent running game and the disappointing Trent Richardson has been benched in favor of the nondescript Daniel Herron, who has been an upgrade at least. Herron isnt going to remind you of Edgerrin James, though. He rushed 23 times for 63 yards and a TD against Denver, along with a team-high eight receptions for an additional 32 yards, In two playoff games, he is averaging 118 yards from scrimmage per game. They run the ball, they stay out of long-yardage, they get better production out of the running game, more play-action, those kind of things, Belichick said. The Colts defense has lacked consistency this season, especially on the pass rush where the club has missed Robert Mathis, who sat the entire campaign, first on a suspension and then with an Achilles injury. The group has picked things up in the playoffs, however. Veteran linebacker DQwell Jackson is the leader of the unit in his first season since coming over from Cleveland, pacing the AFC with 140 total tackles. The defensive backfield is highlighted by Vontae Davis, one of footballs best man-to-man coverage corners as well as veteran safety Mike Adams, who led the team with a career-high five INTs this season. Stopping the run has to be in the forefront of Paganos mind because the last two times he has faced the Pats, theyve averaged 240 yards per game on the ground with LeGarrette Blount and Gray taking turns as the torturer. Last weekend Brandon Bolden started for New England at running back and the team didnt have one rushing attempt in the second half so you never know what Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels are going to dial up. What happened in the regular season is what happened and were a much better team for that, Indianapolis defensive lineman Cory Redding said. So we learned from those mistakes and were moving on. On the injury front, the Colts are hurting in the defensive backfield as Davis is dealing with a knee injury and fellow corner Greg Toler has a groin issue. For New England, starting center Bryan Stork is iffy with a knee injury. OVERALL ANALYSIS There is a reason that Belichick is the best coach in professional football and everyone else is fighting for second place best evidenced by the wrinkle he unveiled on the Pats second drive of the third quarter against the Ravens after Stork was forced to leave with the knee injury. New England kicked Ryan Wendell inside to the pivot and lined up just four natural offensive linemen, declaring a normally eligible receiver like blocking tight end Michael Hoomanawanui or running back Shane Vereen as ineligible, all in an effort to keep Baltimore off balance. The strategy worked as Baltimore defenders were often confused when trying to substitute and match up, causing John Harbaugh to blow his stack and draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Belichick is the Nolan Ryan of football, a pure power pitcher who has developed impeccable control over the years and is able to pull the string on you at any time, leaving you in the batters box unable to react. One week its Brady throwing for 300 and the next its Blount or Gray or Bolden killing you on the ground. Defensively, he uses Revis to lock down one side of the field but you never know which receiver he wants to shadow and New England remains the one NFL team most likely to use multiple fronts from one week to the next. This is likely going to be Lucks league in two or three years but to win in this spot at this stage of his development is asking a little too much. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Patriots 30, Colts 21 Tyler Boyd Jersey . The Redblacks are taking on the Edmonton Eskimos in their second regular season game Friday night. Catch the game live on TSN as the back end of a doubleheader starting at 10pm et/7pm pt. Dre Kirkpatrick Jersey . But when it was all over they had wasted another lead, seen another pitcher flame out on the mound and lost their fourth straight at home. http://www.cheapbengalsjerseysonline.com/?tag=jordan-evans-jersey-online . Wayne and Cindy Tuck of Ilderton, Ont., closed out round-robin play earlier in the day with a 7-3 win over Finland but needed a win over Austria to reach the final eight.TORONTO - For the second straight year, Drake attempted to downplay the magnitude of an annual themed night named in his honour. Tonight, my names attached to it, but its not really about me at all, said the Toronto-born rapper and Raptors global ambassador ahead of Wednesdays Drake Night. Its just about giving the city what these guys have been giving the city all year, just an incredible, exciting evening. Last year it was mostly tongue-in-cheek. It was Jan. 11, a game against the Brooklyn Nets, which, at that point was still just another team. The Raptors, 17-17 at the time, had recently started winning some games and the city was intrigued, but skeptical. They still needed a hook. The Raptors won that night, but Drake was the main attraction. He personalized the opening introductions, gave away free shoes at halftime and when it was all said and done he flexed his bicep in what would become a memorable image, truly encapsulating the teams feel-good season. Its been just over seven months since that magical run came to an abrupt end at the hands of those same Nets, and no one has forgotten about it - not Dwane Casey, not his players and certainly not Drake, who now takes a backseat to the team he represents. Was it a happy coincidence that Drake Night happened to fall on an evening the Nets were in town, again? No. I actually got to choose the game that I wanted to be Drake Night this year, he told reporters before the game. If theres anybody that I want to beat, its the Nets. You know, I think if we have a rivalry at all, I think this would probably would be it. Obviously, Ive got much love for New York and Brooklyn but in this particular arena, at this particular moment, the one thing I want to do is knock out Brooklyn. And they did. The team did. But it wasnt a win one for Drake type of moment. The global ambassador sat quietly in his court-side seat, adjacent to Casey and Torontos bench and took in a game, a rematch that had little to do with his brand. I can only speak for myself, that Game 7 was definitely on my mind from the time I woke up this morning to even now, said Patrick Patterson following the Raptors decisive 105-89 victory over their post-season nemesis. Im definitely happy that we went out there and won the game. It was a bit of revenge in my eyes. Patterson was one of just a few Raptors that didnt downplay the connection between these two teams, admitting theres still some lingering animosity towards the club that ended their season. Casey hasnt forgotten about it either. None of them have, whether they want to fess up or not. Hardy Nickerson Jr. Jersey. I would say they remember but whether it motivates them or not, youd have to ask them, the Raptors coach said. I would say, I hope so. It should motivate you. It took Casey a couple months to get over that series, Game 7 and the play that sealed it - Paul Pierces block on a driving Kyle Lowry. But instead of looking back, or fading away like the Nets have - a product of aging stars, a depleted bench and Pieces move to Washington - theyve been moving forward. Yea, I think [were a better team], said Patterson, one of six players to score in double figures Wednesday and a member of the Raptors celebrated second unit. We have guys who can contribute even more off the bench. Having Lou [Williams] and James [Johnson] makes us even better. Guys have stepped their game up, guys have improved in every area. Weve improved as a team. Both teams are definitely different than when we faced each other last time. The Nets have yet to find any consistency, falling to 10-14 on the season, 1-9 in games against winning opponents. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Raptors have reached 20 wins ahead of their Christmas break for the first time in the franchises 20-year history. Everything we’ve done as a growing team and you see we have a lot of areas where we can improve, said Casey. In the first quarter, his team resembled the young, awestruck bunch from most of last years seven-game series. The Nets shot 59 per cent in the frame, scoring 30 points and Toronto trailed by as many as 11 early on. But thats when their experience and added depth seemed to kick in. Williams came in and scored his nightly 10-plus points, a luxury they didnt have last spring. Johnson did what he was brought in to do, bodying up with Joe Johnson, Brooklyns playoff hero. And then theres Kyle Lowry, who scored a team-high 20 points on 13 shots, adding 12 assists. Shoulda, coulda, woulda, Casey said after the game, refusing to revisionist history. If ifs and buts were candies and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas, right? You can’t look backwards, you have to look forward. I don’t think I can influence how much energy they’re going to play with, Drake had acknowledged before his night. They’re going to come out and do what they do and play as hard as they possibly can every night. Now, the Raptors are in the spotlight - the team, its players, their accomplishments. Its their show. The global ambassador will happily settle for opening act responsibilities. Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Baseball Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys China Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap Custom Jerseys China Cheap Basketball Jerseys Authentic NFL Jerseys China Cheap College Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys ' ' '