partner in capitalism where it can make a difference - from corse178's blog
EAST RUTHERFORD, N. Ricardo Rodriguez Trikot .J. -- New York Giants safety and human fire emoji Landon Collins has dyed his hair blue. He wears it in neat braids atop his head, with the sides cut short, in sharp contrast to his unruly black beard. But the biggest differences between Collins 2015 rookie season and this one are the look in his eye and the number (four) in the interception column. All four of those interceptions have come in the past three games, all of which the Giants have won.Im being very accountable, Collins said after helping lead the Giants to a 21-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. Last year, I had a bad season, and Im making up for it.He could be speaking for the entire Giants defense, which is the biggest reason the team has already won as many games (six) as it did in each of the previous two seasons. So much of the early-season focus was on Odell Beckham Jr. and Ben McAdoo, the new head coach, who was the young, hotshot offensive coordinator. But while the Giants offense has struggled to find its footing so far, the defense has been making sure they turn fourth-quarter leads into wins instead of heartbreaking 2015-style losses.Were 6-3. I havent been 6-3 since Ive been here, Beckham, the third-year superstar, said after the game. Its a good feeling.Last season?was a parade of bad feelings for the Giants, who blew five fourth-quarter leads in Tom Coughlins forgettable final season as coach. This season, the close games are breaking their way. They have won four games in a row with an average margin of victory of 4.3 points. They have the third-best record in the NFC even though theyve allowed more points than theyve scored.Why? Because theyre not giving up points when points would hurt the most. Only eight defenses in the league are allowing fewer points, on average, in the fourth quarter than the Giants 5.33. Last year, they averaged 8.75 points allowed in the fourth quarter -- tied for worst in the league with the Saints.Now, you know the Giants spent big to improve that defense, signing top-of-the-market free agents Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison and Janoris Jenkins and bringing back Jason Pierre-Paul. Watching Monday night, you could see the payoff: Jenkins holding Bengals star A.J. Green to a pedestrian 68 yards on seven catches; Harrison anchoring a run defense that allowed only 78 yards; Vernon muscling his way past the Bengals line and meeting Pierre-Paul and Friends at the quarterback. The Giants have just 14 sacks this season -- more than only two other NFL teams. But two of them came on the final two offensive possessions the Bengals had on Monday, and they basically sealed a one-point win.Our job as a defensive line is to stop the run and get to the quarterback, Vernon said. I think we did a pretty good job of that tonight.The broader effect of the defensive infusion, though, is that it allows coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to maximize the players he has and put the combinations on the field that he prefers. Rookie Eli Apple has clearly usurped former starting cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who frustrated the Giants coaching staff the past two years with inconsistency and by asking in and out of games. Vernon is a versatile enough player that Spagnuolo can run sub packages where his pass-rushers move inside, the way he used to do it with Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck in his 2007 glory year.But theres no greater difference than whats showing up in the play of Collins, who was NFC Defensive Player of the Week each of the past two weeks and kept the train rolling with a fourth-quarter interception of Andy Dalton on Monday. Cincinnati was driving inside Giants territory with a one-point lead and 11 minutes, 35 seconds left in the game when Collins made his weekly huge play. And if his teammates were surprised it was only because it had taken that long.Hes amazing right now, Pierre-Paul said. Not a different guy, but a better player. Smart.Collins agrees that hes a better player than he was a year ago. The Giants moved up to draft him at the top of the second round in 2015, and coming out of Alabama he was used to success. But his rookie year was a rough one. Without a true free safety on the roster, the Giants too often forced Collins out of his comfort zone and into coverage, which is not a strength of his game. The improved depth of talent on the defensive side of the ball this season?allows Collins to do more of what hes good at -- play closer to the line, deliver big hits and take advantage of his playmaking ability -- while the overall coverage forces a quarterback into mistakes.Monday night, Collins said, Dalton was staring down his tight end and Collins didnt have coverage responsibility on the play. He recognized the routes the receivers were running, saw that everyone was covered and moved the ball where Dalton was telegraphing it. Interception No. 4.No big deal, really, because Collins believes he owes all of this. Last year sticks with him. It haunts him and drives him.Just not being accountable, he said of what went wrong in his rookie year. Not making the right calls, not being in the right position, being out-leveraged. I knew the defense by the end of the year, but its night and day now as far as knowing the defense, being sound, being in the right position. Its so much better now.The Giants defense this year is allowing 359.3 yards per game, good for just 16th-best in the league. But those figures last year were 420.3 and 32nd-best. The stats put them in the middle of the road, but its possible no single unit in the NFL is more improved over last season than the Giants defense. Personified by its red-hot, blue-haired second-year star safety, it is -- as he described it -- so much better now. And the difference is right there in the standings. Breel Embolo Trikot . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Marwin Hitz Trikot . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. http://www.fussballtrikotschweizshop.ch/yann-sommer-trikot.html . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. ST. LOUIS -- A group seeking to build a new soccer stadium in St. Louis postponed its Tuesday meeting with a state finance board, one day after Missouris governor-elect expressed strong opposition to public financing for the project.Principles of the group SC STL were to meet with the Missouri Development Finance Board over a request to approve $40 million in state tax credits for the proposed $200 million downtown stadium, the centerpiece of the effort to attract a Major League Soccer expansion team.The postponement followed a statement released by Republican Gov.-elect Eric Greitens on Monday in which he called public funding for the stadium nothing more than welfare for millionaires.SC STL chairman Paul Edgerley said the group hopes to meet with Greitens to fully understand his position and outline the projects benefits.While we were disappointed in the statement yesterday by Governor-Elect Greitens, we respect that he and others may differ from our views, Edgerley said in a statement. We continue to believe in the substantial economic and other benefits of this project to the State and to the City of St. Louis.Greitens said in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday that the groups decision to withdraw, at least for now, the request for state financing is great news for Missouri taxpayers.As I said yesterday, Im opposed to taxpayer funding for the soccer stadium, something I view as welfare for millionaires, Greitens said. Im looking forward to meeting with the ownership group to discuss a plan to bring private investment and jobs to Missouri.Outgoing Goov. Schweiz Trikot 2018. Jay Nixon has expressed support for public funding, as has St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, a fellow Democrat. In addition to state tax credits, the stadium is contingent on St. Louis voters approving $80 million in public funding in an April vote. The city would own the stadium and lease it to the MLS team in a 30-year agreement.Nixon told The Associated Press he believes it is unfair to characterize a process that will involve at least three public votes as backroom deals, as Greitens did in his statement on Monday.I dont consider being a partner in capitalism where it can make a difference -- especially on site preparation -- to be welfare for anybody, Nixon said. I consider it economic development.Edgerley cited a study that suggested the stadium project would produce a net positive economic impact for the state, creating more than 400 permanent jobs and generating tax revenue that would exceed the states investment, while adding an important element to help revitalize downtown.Were hopeful that Gov. Elect Greitens, who campaigned on a pro-business platform, will welcome the opportunity to learn more about the upside of the project for the state and city alike, Edgerley said.Plans for the downtown stadium were announced in November. The MLS has expressed interest in St. Louis as a potential expansion site, but only if a stadium is built.---AP reporter David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, contributed to this report. Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys 2018 Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '
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