playing injured quarterback Blake Bortles against Tenness

MONTREAL - After two years out of the NHL playoffs, there is new optimism among the Nashville Predators.A stunning turnaround aided by a coaching change, the addition of veteran forwards James Neal and Mike Ribeiro and the emergence of 20-year-old forward Filip Forsberg have put Nashville in first place in the Central Division going into the all-star break.Now they believe theyve got enough pieces to keep up their strong play through the second half of the regular season and do some damage in the playoffs.Absolutely, veteran centre Mike Fisher said Tuesday. We really believe in this group.We believe were a top team in this league and we are. Weve shown it thus far. Were really confident in the group we have, that we can win any night against other top teams.The Predators had not lost twice in a row this season going into a game Tuesday night against the Canadiens in Montreal, where they were without star goalie Pekka Rinne for a third game due to an injury expected to last three weeks.Backed by Rinne and an impressive defence group led by Shea Weber, the Predators are the NHLs stingiest team, allowing only 2.25 goals per game. But Nashville has been known as a tight defensive side in recent years.The surprise is that they are tied for fifth in goals scored per game at 3.0.Part of that stems from the decision last summer to let the conservative Barry Trotz go after coaching the team through its first 15 NHL campaigns and bring in a more attack-minded Peter Laviolette.Trotz is now performing wonders in making the Washington Capitals a winning, two-way club, while Laviolette will also be a coach of the year candidate for doing much the same in Nashville.Its good for both sides, said Weber. You see the success theyre having (in Washington) and that were having.There was a different feel coming into training camp this year with a new face and I think the guys have responded very well.The second part of the season will determine if the Predators are for real, but it looks like it so far.They certainly have the goaltending with Rinne, considered one of the best in the world.With Weber, they have the big No. 1 blue-liner every team wishes it had, and he is backed by a group that can defend and move the puck. Among them is emerging talent Seth Jones, the fourth pick in the 2013 draft.Only a few months ago, they didnt appear to have much up front, but then Forsberg turned into a nearly point-per-game player and a strong two-way player on the top line with veteran Mike Ribeiro, who so far has shown a new commitment to discipline after being bought out by Arizona due to behavioural problems.Hes been an excellent addition to our team, Laviolette said of Ribeiro, who is on pace for his first 70-point campaign since 2010-11. Terrific in the room, terrific teammate, terrific on-ice play.Forsberg, playing his first full NHL campaign, was acquired from Washington in March 2013 for Martin Erat and Michael Latta in what is looking to be a spectacular steal for Nashville.Fisher centres James Neal, a one-time 40-goal scorer picked up in a trade with Pittsburgh in June, and Colin Wilson, who is having a breakout season and will soon top his career high of 35 points.Veteran Olli Jokinen, signed from Winnipeg, is playing on the fourth line. Another reclamation project, defenceman Anton Volchenkov, brings his stay at home style to the third defence pair and being dumped by New Jersey.Fisher likes the teams chances.With the goaltending we have, and look at our back end: everyone can handle the puck and skate, he said. And you look at the mix, the young guys, the leadership, energy, the way we play.Were all excited about what we can do. Its a tough league and the playoffs are tough, but we feel weve got a lot of pieces and character and we can be successful.The Predators have won only two playoff series in their history, the last against Detroit in 2012.The optimism now stems from adding some offence to a team known for tight defence. That comes from Laviolette.Id say were more aggressive, said Fisher. We want to be hungry for pucks, to forecheck really hard.The way our defence can move the puck helps us offensively. And defensively, we want to be hard to play against. He wants us to play both ends. He wants us to make plays and be creative, but be responsible.It has worked so far, but Weber, the captain, knows there is a lot of hockey still be played.I was on this team a while back when we were in first place for a while too, he said. Weve had good teams since Ive been in Nashville.Its just been tough the last couple of years. Theres still a lot of season left and we have to keep it up. E.J. Gaines Browns Jersey . The Wild, playing their first game since leading scorer Mikko Koivu broke his ankle Saturday at Washington, have won three straight for the first time since Nov. 1-5. Koivu underwent surgery on Monday and is expected to miss at least four weeks. Tyrod Taylor Jersey . - The Jacksonville Jaguars are leaning more toward playing injured quarterback Blake Bortles against Tennessee on Thursday night. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Damarious-Randall-Jersey/ . Rajne Soderberg, the director of the Stockholm Diamond League event, said in an email Friday that the ban still holds. Euromeetings, the organization representing Europes top track events, "will continue to recommend that members do not invite athletes who we believe cause disrepute to our meetings and our sport. Austin Corbett Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Baker Mayfield Jersey . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night.I miss football. It has been eleven years, eight months, and 261 days since I played my last CFL game. Never once in that time have I regretted my decision to retire, nor have I ever wished that I could make a comeback. I dont miss playing football. Three weeks into the 2014 CFL season, I miss the existence of football...or at least the version of the game that Ive spent virtually my entire life watching, playing, and loving. Absent is the fast pace of the game created by the 20-second play clock. In its place are plodding affairs that often exceed three hours in length and are punctuated by penalty flags and instant replay reviews. The superstar players who had drawn me to the sport growing up have been reduced to sharing the spotlight with the men in striped shirts. The captivating chess match between coaches, which used to be about Xs and Os, has instead become about which general is able parlay his complement of replay challenges into the biggest payoff. Perhaps most disturbing to me is the apparent desire to transform football from a "collision sport" into a "contact sport." Im not going to lie, nor am I going to apologize. I crave a certain amount of "controlled violence." I enjoy mixed martial arts, dont mind fighting in hockey, and to be blunt, absolutely love big hits on the gridiron. Those hits, and the inherent physical risk associated with them, are part of football...but, in Week 3, the CFL edged perilously close to dressing quarterbacks in red "non-contact" jerseys like the ones they wear in practice. I appreciate that the relatively new concept of player safety is being taken seriously, however, the fine line between &quuot;player safety in football" and "rugby played in helmets and shoulder pads" has become a little too blurry for my liking.dddddddddddd My complaint isnt with the leagues officials. My beef is with the rules theyre being asked to enforce, the standards to which theyre being asked to enforce them, and a review system that effectively castrates them in terms of exercising judgment. Where the officials used to be asked to enforce the rules, they have now become slaves to those regulations. For me, football has always been about the human element – played by humans, coached by humans, officiated by humans, with opportunities for human excellence and human error creating an awesome 60-minute emotional journey. Rules have always been a necessary part of the game but now they too often overshadow the game. Every physical interaction between players is at risk of being deemed "too physical". The cerebral duel between coaches that takes place over 200 painstakingly conceived plays is becoming irrelevant next to the question of "Should he throw his challenge flag?" Every raw emotional reaction to an officials call loses its edge while the play is reviewed. Its just not the same. Dont get me wrong. The games in Week 3 of the CFL schedule still possessed many of the elements of Canadian football that Ive always enjoyed. Thanks to the drama of Julian Feoli-Gudinos game-winning catch, Adarius Bowmans one-handed touchdown grab, Jock Sanders 121-yard missed field goal return, and Andrew Harris run for the ages, the game being governed by current CFL rules still offers incredibly entertaining moments...but, man, I sure miss football. Cheap Celtics Jerseys Wholesale Nets Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Cheap Stitched 76ers Jerseys Raptors Jerseys China Cheap Bulls Jerseys Wholesale Cavaliers Jerseys Pistons Jerseys China Pacers Jerseys China Cheap Bucks Jerseys Online Wholesale Hawks Jerseys Cheap Hornets Jerseys Wholesale Heat Jerseys Cheap Magic Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Wizards Jerseys Nuggets Jerseys China Timberwolves Jerseys China Cheap Thunder Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Blazers Jerseys Wholesale Jazz Jerseys Cheap Warriors Jerseys For Sale Cheap Clippers Jerseys Lakers Jerseys China Wholesale Suns Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Authentic Cheap Mavericks Jerseys Rockets Jerseys China Cheap Grizzlies Jerseys Wholesale Pelicans Jerseys Spurs Jerseys China ' ' '