when Affirmed won the Triple Crown, | Forum
miaowang123
Dec 3 '18
INDIANAPOLIS - Defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois never bought the notion Indianapolis couldnt contend for a Super Bowl this season. White Sox Jose Rondon Jersey .He had too much faith in his teammates and coaches to accept that perception.Now, one day after a surprising 24-13 divisional-round win at Denver, the most unlikely entrant of championship weekend finds itself with a seemingly unlikely Super Bowl scenario.We expected to be here, even though no one else may have expected us to be here, Jean Francois said. Were looking at accomplishing something, and we havent finished it yet.Outsiders arent the only ones surprised that the Colts are here.Just last week, team owner Jim Irsay told reporters he didnt anticipate things going this smoothly or this fast after he released Peyton Manning in 2012 and started over with a rookie quarterback, a first-time head coach and a first-time general manager.But Andrew Luck has been better than advertised, Indy has embraced Chuck Pagano and his philosophy and general manager Ryan Grigson has put enough pieces in place to win 11 regular-season games in three straight seasons.The two-time AFC South champs have gone one step deeper in the playoffs each year of the Luck-Pagano-Grigson era, and now they are just one win away from their third Super Bowl trip in eight years.Youre excited that youve done so much so soon but you also feel the weight. You know where you have to go, Irsay said. We know what we have to do as an organization and thats to get to the top of the mountain. Thats what our goals are as we go into this playoff run.Getting there this time will take a monumental effort.After eliminating Manning on his home turf, the Colts (13-5) face Tom Brady on his home field. Brady is 13-3 at home in the playoffs, 3-0 against the Colts, including last years 43-22 divisional-round drubbing.Its exactly the road Irsay expected to face when he told The Associated Press last month that Indys likely path to a championship would go through Denver and New England, then either Green Bay or Seattle, who will square off in the NFC championship game.Most thought winning any of those games would be too much to ask of Indys young team. The Colts never saw it that way.Faith is believing in what you dont see or cant see, and the reward for believing is youll get to see it, Pagano said Monday. Weve got a bunch of guys in this building that believe in what were doing and believe in each other. If you cant speak it into existence, itll never happen.The indications that Indy was ahead of schedule were there most of the season.During a five-game winning streak in September and October, the Colts allowed 75 points and the run defence was on the verge of cracking the top 10. Andrew Luck was throwing for 300 yards on a weekly basis and led the league in touchdown passes thanks in part to an evolving ground game.Then, late in the season, the Colts defence played well enough to win five of its last six games despite an uncharacteristic rash of turnovers and penalties. In the locker room, players and coaches insisted they were getting hot at just the right time.The critics, meanwhile, complained Indys success was largely built against sub-par teams and pointing to their 2-4 mark against playoff-bound teams and blowout losses at Pittsburgh and Dallas and at home against the Patriots (13-4) as evidence the Colts would be eliminated quickly.Even a convincing 26-10 wild-card round win over Cincinnati didnt change those thoughts.Sundays win over Denver will help, even though the Colts remain the biggest underdog left in the playoff field.The Colts dont care. Theyve got bigger things on their mind.It doesnt matter what anyone else thinks, Jean Francois said. As long as the people in this locker room believe, we can accomplish our goals.Notes: Pagano said the Colts came out of Sundays game with no major injuries. ... Pagano also explained that Trent Richardson, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 draft, was inactive for the Broncos game because he was not as skilled on special teams as the recently signed Michael Hill. Richardson worked out on special teams last week, but Pagano said he has not been asked to play on those units previously and that Hill was brought in, partially, because of his knack on special teams. ... The Colts believe they will have the same starting combination on the offensive line for the third straight week. The most recent time that happened was Weeks 1 to 3.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ;White Sox Nellie Fox Jersey . Top-ranked Rafael Nadal was also taken to three sets but emerged with a 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3 win over Tobias Kamke of Germany, while second-seeded David Ferrer joined Murray in making an early exit after a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Daniel Brands of Germany. White Sox Dustin Garneau Jersey . The 23-year-old restricted free agent appeared in all 48 games last season, finishing second among all Sabres skaters with 15 goals and 34 points.NEW YORK -- California Chrome went home to the West Coast on Sunday with a bandaged right front foot -- and no Triple Crown -- after bumping another horse leaving the Belmont Stakes starting gate. Steve Coburn, who co-owns California Chome, was still smarting, too. He was irked Belmont winner Tonalist didnt run in either of the first two legs of the Triple Crown. After the race, he complained others took "the cowards way out" by skipping the Derby and/or the Preakness. A day later, Coburn was unrepentant. "Its not fair to these horses that are running to entertain these people in all three legs of the Triple Crown," he said. "Its not fair to them to have somebody just show up at the last minute and run. I may have gone off half-cocked yesterday, but thats the way I feel." Under Coburns premise, there would have been just three horses in the $1.5 million Belmont, making it unlikely the third-largest crowd of 102,199 would have shown up or that a record $19,105,877 would have been wagered on-track. California Chrome, General a Rod and Ride On Curlin were the only horses to run in the Derby, Preakness and Belmont. General a Rod finished seventh and Ride On Curlin did not finish. Art Sherman, the 77-year-old trainer of California Chrome, distanced himself from Coburns comments. "Horses arent cowards and the people arent cowards," he said. "He was at the heat of the moment. Dont forget hes a fairly new owner. Sometimes your emotions get in front of you. He hasnt been in the game long and hasnt had any bad luck." Coburn and Perry Martin named their racing operation Dumb Ass Partners, with California Chrome the lone horse in their stable. The chestnut colt has earned $3,317,800 this year and brought a six-race winning streak into the Belmont. California Chrome had smooth trips in winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness to set up a shot at racings first Triple Crown in 36 years. But he had a rough trip in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont on Saturday, getting a chunk of flesh torn from his foot after bumping with Matterhorn coming out of the starting gate. California Chrome finished in a dead heat for fourth with Wicked Strong. "It was kind of scary. You come back and see a horse bleeding from the foot," Sherman said. "Hes never had anything wrong with him. Weve been awful fortunate." Sherman said California Chrome has a superficial wound that should heal in two to three weeks. The colt will then rest for six to seven weeks after a tough Triple Crown campaign that involved running in three races at different tracks and distances over five weeks. White Sox Aaron Bummer Jersey. His camp plans to point him toward the Breeders Cup this fall at Santa Anita. Sherman thought Coburn would apologize for his comments. Instead, the outspoken co-owner went even further Sunday. "It wouldnt be fair if I played basketball with a child in a wheelchair because I got an unfair advantage," Coburn said. "If your horse is good enough to run in the Belmont, where was he in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness? It says Triple Crown, not one out of two, one out of three or two out of three." Sherman said, "I cant make excuses. Thats not really what you should do in these type of races." Frenchman Christophe Clement, who won his first Triple Crown race with Totalist, declined to comment on Coburns remarks. Coburn had predicted California Chrome would win the Triple Crown. "If they want to call me a sore loser, I dont care," he said. Horses are made eligible for the Triple Crown races in January. Owners and trainers of horses not nominated can pay a late fee of $6,000 in March to get in. The 20-horse field for the Kentucky Derby is decided by a points system, with horses earning points for running in prep races. The Preakness and Belmont have maximum fields of 14, but no points system is used. Its common for horses to drop in and out of the Triple Crown series. In 1978, when Affirmed won the Triple Crown, the Belmont had a five-horse field. Two of the colts rivals did not run in the first two legs and one only ran in the Derby. In 1977, Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown. The Belmont had eight horses, and five did not run in the first two legs. One ran only in the Preakness, and one other besides Slew raced in all three legs. On Saturday, second-place finisher Commissioner was new to the Triple Crown series. Winner Tonalist wasnt ready for the Derby, so trainer Clement prepared him for the Belmont. "California Chrome was running with tough, fresh horses that were waiting in the wings, and thats what happens," Sherman said. "We all know when youre on this trail you got to have an iron horse." The veteran trainer hopes California Chromes owners will keep him running next year as a 4-year-old. He credited the colt for having a lot of talent and taking his handlers on an exciting ride. "This is one of them races that we couldnt win," Sherman said, "but he didnt disgrace us any." cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '
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