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Geregistreerd op: 15 Okt 2019
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 Geplaatst: 02-01-2020 09:44:01 Onderwerp: It was the captains first Champions League |
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| FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Cameron Johnson Jersey . - The two men most responsible for delivering wins for the New England Patriots both said Thursday they have no explanation for how footballs used to reach the Super Bowl were underinflated by 2 pounds per square inch. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he has not been contacted by the NFL, even as league officials investigate whether the team cheated against the Indianapolis Colts. I dont know what happened, Brady said, answering questions from reporters hours after Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he almost never thinks about football pressure and doesnt know what happened, either. Unlike Belichick, who briefly answered questions after a long opening remark by repeatedly saying Ive told you everything I know and I dont have an explanation, Brady answered many questions and said he doesnt think about football conditions during games. I get the snap, I drop back, I throw the ball, Brady said. I dont sit there and try to squeeze it and determine that. He does, however, have his preferences — he likes the football to be pumped to 12.5 pounds per square inch of air pressure, he said. The NFL requires balls to be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pound per square inch. To me, thats a perfect grip for the football, he said. I would never do anything outside the rules of play. With different approaches, Belichick and Brady sent a unified message: Both said they have no clue how the footballs were tampered with or switched, and started learning about the issue along with fans and everyone else. I have no knowledge of anything, any wrongdoing, Brady said when asked who on the Patriots was responsible for the underinflated footballs. Im very comfortable saying nobody did it as far as I know. Brady said he picks the game balls he wants to use several hours before kickoff, then doesnt think about them at all. He said he didnt know the protocol for handling game balls after he chooses them. Once I approve the ball thats the ball that I expect out there on the field, Brady said. It wasnt even a thought, inkling or concern of mine that they werent the same ball. Belichick said that before this week, he didnt give air pressure in footballs much thought at all. Ive learned a lot more about this process in the last three days than I knew or have talked about it in the last 40 years that Ive coached in this league, Belichick said during an 8 1/2-minute opening statement during an 11 1/2-minute news conference Thursday morning. While neither Belichick nor Brady took responsibility for the underinflated balls, neither absolved anyone besides themselves of potential wrongdoing. Softer balls are generally considered easier to throw and catch, and quarterbacks, specialists and equipment managers are known to have very individualized preferences in how footballs are readied for games. Belichick said he was unaware of the process for game balls until the accusations were raised. Belichick said he sometimes hears quarterbacks, kickers and other specialists talk about their preferences. I can tell you and they will tell you that there is never any sympathy from me whatsoever on that subject. Zero, Belichick said. Under league rules, each team provides 12 balls for use on offence. Referees approve the balls more than 2 hours before game time, then keep the balls until theyre turned over to ball handlers provided by home teams just before kickoff. Belichick said the balls used by the Patriots offence are inflated to the 12 1/2-pound range and any deflation would then take us under that. Going forward, he said, the Patriots will inflate footballs to a safe level to prevent them from dropping under allowable air pressure during games. The coach who has won three Super Bowls said he generally forces players to practice under bad-ball conditions. Anytime players complain about the quality of the footballs, I make it worse and that stops the complaints, he said. We never use the condition of the footballs as an excuse. We play with whatever or kick with whatever we have to use. The issue has drawn inflated reaction from around the game and its fans as the Patriots prepare to play the Seattle Seahawks on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Arizona, for the NFL title. Several players said it would not distract them in preparing for the game. Wed rather be celebrating our trip to the Super Bowl, special teams captain Matthew Slater said. Its important to us that we respect the game and deal with things in a way thats considered professional. But Brady said the topic of the sports integrity is serious. Everyones trying to figure out what happened but at the same time youve got to prepare for the Seahawks, he said. Shawn Marion Jersey .com) - Intrastate rivals collide Saturday as the Texas State Bobcats hit the road to take on the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns in a non-conference battle at Frank Erwin Center. Cheick Diallo Jersey .com) - The Los Angeles Dodgers made it official Tuesday and signed pitcher Brandon McCarthy to a four-year contract. https://www.cheapsunsonline.com/459z-joe-johnson-jersey-suns.html . Or how his team has defended Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Or just about anything that has happened on the court in the first-round playoff series. Instead, Rivers and his players spent Saturday talking about how they would respond to an audio recording of a man identified as Clippers owner Donald Sterling telling his girlfriend not to bring black people to games.DORTMUND, Germany -- Borussia Dortmund is in the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the second consecutive season -- although it looks far less intimidating than the team that reached the final last year. Crippled by a series of injuries to key players and struggling at home this season, Dortmund was far from convincing in a 2-1 defeat to Zenit on Wednesday. However, the 4-2 victory in the first leg in St. Petersburg was enough for Juergen Klopps side to win 5-4 on aggregate and seal its place in Fridays draw. Hulk scored in the 16th for Zenit and captain Sebastian Kehl equalized for Dortmund in the 38th. Substitute Jose Rondon scored with a diving header in the 73rd to seal Zenits win on the night, though it was an empty victory. Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller turned away a late shot by Igor Smolnikov to prevent an even bigger defeat. In the nights other match, Manchester United advanced with a 3-0 win over Olympiakos, courtesy of a hat trick by Robin van Persie and a 3-2 victory on aggregate. "We surely didnt play a great game but we are in the quarterfinals," Kehl said. "That goal by Kehl allowed us to calm down," said Klopp, who acknowledged the quality of the Russian side. "They can really play and they gave us some problems." Dortmund will be without striker Robert Lewandowski for the first leg of the quarterfinals after he picked up his third yellow card of the competition for handling the ball. "I thought I had been pushed from behind and thats why handled the ball," Lewandowski said. &quuot;The main thing is that we went through. Paul Silas Jersey. ." "The yellow card was laughable," Klopp said. With its comfortable lead from the first leg, Dortmund allowed Zenit to get into the match quickly, through a spectacular solo effort by Hulk. The Brazil striker shook off Kehl and cut inside past two defenders to blast a left-foot shot that swerved away from goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller on its way into the net. Zenit threatened a couple more times before Kehl got the equalizer. Marcel Schmelzer broke down the left flank and swung in a high cross. Kehl raced into the area and rose above the defence to send in a header that keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev got both hands to -- but could only push into the net. It was the captains first Champions League goal in 30 matches. "They have some good players up front but we didnt allow them too many chances," Kehl said. Early in the second half, Hulk unleashed a fierce free kick from about 30 metres (yards) that sailed high. Rondon scored Zenits second following a cross by Domenico Criscito from just outside the penalty area on the left -- evading defender Mats Hummels to head home from close range. Zenit, coached by Sergei Semak on an interim basis until Andre Villas-Boas takes over when the team returns home, kept up the pressure and Igor Smolnikov sent a low shot that Weidenfeller barely managed to turn away in the 88th. The last time Dortmund made it to the last eight in two straight seasons was 16 years ago. It won the title in 1997 and then reached the semifinals. ' ' ' |
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