quarterback Jim Kelly retired after the 1996 season from corse178's blog
Ohio State held firm at second in the College Football Playoff rankings, putting the Buckeyes in position to become the first team to be selected to the final four without winning its conference. Nigeria Jerseys From China .The second-to-last rankings were released Tuesday night and Alabama was No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Clemson and Washington. The Crimson Tide, Tigers and Huskies all play conference championship games this weekend and presumably would be in good shape to make the playoff if they win. The final rankings and playoff pairings will be released Sunday.Unbeaten Alabama is probably in good shape to make the playoff even if it loses to Florida in the Southeastern Conference title game SaturdayMichigan dropped to five after losing to Ohio State. Wisconsin was sixth and Penn State was seventh. The Badgers and Nittany Lions will play for the Big Ten title in Indianapolis on Saturday.---HUSKIES vs. WOLVERINESAssuming the Buckeyes are a lock, and it looks good for them, and Clemson doesnt get upset by Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, the debate for the committee when it gathers in Texas on Saturday night to watch games and discuss the only rankings that matter will be Pac-12 or Big Ten.Can Michigan, or maybe the Big Ten champion with two losses, edge a Washington team that would finish 12-1 by beating Colorado Friday night in the Pac-12 title game?There is a small separation between these two teams, selection committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said of Michigan and Washington. At one point Hocutt added that the difference between the Wolverines and Huskies was razor thin.It looks like not only does the committee not mind putting one Big Ten team without a conference championship in the playoff, but it is also comfortable with two. Michigan at 10-2 has victories against both Penn State and Wisconsin.PENN STATES PLIGHTA Wisconsin victory in the Big Ten title game would eliminate the controversy. The Badgers lost to Ohio State during the regular seasonPenn State fans, however, are already cranking up the complaints. The Nittany Lions beat Ohio State in October. Add a Big Ten title and Penn State is bound to feel slighted.Conference titles and head-to-head results are essentially used by the committee like tiebreakers when teams are very close. The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are not in the committees eyes. At least not yet.The selection committee recognizes the head-to-head win, but in this particular case, it hasnt been the distinguishing point in our evaluation of those two teams, he said.SUGAR BOWLAssuming Alabama is in the playoff, the Southeastern Conference sends its next highest ranked team to the Sugar Bowl to face the Big 12 champion, which will be decided when No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 10 Oklahoma State play in Norman on Saturday.No. 14 Auburn is that SEC team right now. Florida is 15th, so a good performance -- even in a loss -- against the Crimson Tide might get the Gators to New Orleans on a two-game losing streak. A Florida loss would leave every SEC team other than Alabama with at least four losses.But the contract with the Sugar says the SEC gets the spot mediocre or not.ORANGE BOWLLouisville beat Florida State by 43 points in September, but the Cardinals have stumbled down the stretch and now the Seminoles are 12th and the Cardinal are 13th.If that order holds -- and there is no reason to think it wont because neither is playing -- and Clemson goes to the playoff as the ACC champion, then Florida State will represent the conference in the Orange Bowl.Hocutt said Florida State has played one of the toughest schedules in the country while Louisville has beaten only one team with a winning record (Florida State). He said the Seminoles are playing better lately.GROUP OF FIVEThe highest-ranked conference champion from outside the Power Five is getting a Cotton Bowl bid and at this point it looks as if it will be No. 17 Western Michigan if the unbeaten Broncos defeat Ohio in the Mid-American Conference championship game Friday night.The next highest ranked Group of Five team is No. 19 Navy (9-2), which will play Temple for the American Athletic Conference championship on Saturday at home.Dont consider WMU a lock. Hocutt said the committee is still concerned about the Broncos weak schedule. But it looks promising for coach P.J. Flecks team.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP--More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Womens Nigeria Jerseys . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Cheap Nigeria Soccer Jerseys . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. http://www.cheapnigeriajerseys.com/ . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. The Buffalo Bills have placed their faith in quarterback Tyrod Taylor by signing him to a contract extension.Sources told ESPN the deal is for six years and $90 million. He will make $9.5 million in 2016, up from a previous base contract of $2 million.Taylor could earn up to $20 million more through difficult-to-reach incentives, sources said, but the Bills can release him by the third day of the 2017 league year and pay him only the $9.5 million he would have made in 2016. They have another out available after the second year of the deal.Im definitely thankful for the Pegulas, for the Bills organization and for Rex Ryan, for giving me an opportunity, first and foremost, Taylor said. Them offering me a contract for this many years definitely shows that theyre all-in, which is what our phrase is for this year. As far as a mindset going into a game, having financial stability or not having it, Im a competitor from day one.The team announced the deal Friday, reached a day before the Bills open their preseason by hosting the Indianapolis Colts.?Taylor was entering the final year of his contract.Next years option is for $15.5 million with a base salary of $12 million, sources said.Before the team exercises the option for the second year, that year is guaranteed for injury at $27.5 million, sources said. After the option is exercised, the guarantee becomes $50 million for injury and $40.25 million fully guaranteed -- including the money he was paid in 2016 and a portion of his 2018 base salary.Taylors base salary of $13 million for the 2018 season will become guaranteed in March of that year. The deal contains no guarantees for after the 2018 season, sources said.Every year you have something to prove, Taylor said of the Bills options in the deal. This is a competition-driven league. Its not like the NBA where everything is guaranteed. You can cut at any given time. Every time you step on that field, you have something to prove, and thats been my mindset every time I step on the practice field -- theres something for me to prove, and Im going to continue to keep showing that every time.Contract talks ramped up over the past month, and the signing comes a week after Taylors agent, Adisa Bakari, attended training camp outside Rochester, New York.We looked at it as we have a quarterback now, general manager Doug Whaley said. I hate to say it, but lack of a better term, we didnt want to be greedy. We like working with Tyrod. We have faith in Tyrod. The coaching staff has faith in Tyrod. But most importantly, the team has faith in Tyrod and Tyrod has faith in himself. So, we said lets go with what we have on hand and were excited about the future.The 27-year-old is being rewarded for displaying his dynamic dual-threat potential with a strong arm and scrambling ability in going 8-6 as a first-time sstarter last season and being named to the Pro Bowl. Youth Nigeria Jerseys. He completed 242 of 380 attempts for 3,035 yards and threw 20 touchdown passes. He set the franchise record for quarterbacks with 586 yards rushing and scored four times, trailing only Cam Newton in rushing yards (636) and rushing touchdowns (10) by a quarterback.Taylor did miss two games with a knee injury.We went back and looked at everything he did last year and then we took into consideration how he came into the offseason, how hes got a greater command of the offense, and a greater command of the team, Whaley said. And then when you take into account what he has shown on the field in this preseason camp, we just felt, again, that it was the right time and the right deal for both parties involved.Taylor spent his first four seasons serving as Joe Flaccos backup with the Baltimore Ravens before signing with the Bills in free agency in March 2015. He won the No. 1 job in Buffalo after a three-way offseason competition against former starter EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel.This year, Taylor has already shown signs of becoming more confident and taking on a larger leadership role. Numerous offensive players have credited him for being more assertive in the huddle.Coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Greg Roman project that Taylor has great potential to build off last season because he is more familiar with the playbook.Buffalos offense made significant jumps under Taylor last year and after the team retooled its roster by adding several established threats, including running back LeSean McCoy and tight end Charles Clay.The Bills led the NFL with 2,432 yards rushing and finished 13th with 5,775 net yards offense, the most since 1992.Taylor becomes the latest candidate to fill what has been an unsettled position in Buffalo since Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly retired after the 1996 season. Since then, the Bills have had 12 quarterbacks, including Taylor, start at least eight games. Its a group that included Todd Collins, J.P. Losman, Trent Edwards and Kyle Orton.Drew Bledsoe, from 2002 to 2004, was the only quarterback to retain the starting job over a three-season stretch.Taylor becomes Buffalos third quarterback to earn a contract extension since Kelly retired, joining Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2011 and Doug Flutie in 1999.Fitzpatricks extension, a six-year, $59 million deal, was notable because it failed to pan out. He lasted just one more season in Buffalo before being cut after the 2012 campaign, and the Bills started fresh by using a first-round pick to draft Manuel.Information from ESPNs Adam Schefter and Dan Graziano, ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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