g for any big competition, didnt need to get his game in shape for anyth | Forum

NEW ORLEANS -- Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce was a little-known undrafted rookie out Samford when the preseason began. Cheap Vans Running Shoes .He was among the stars of Baltimores preseason finale, sacking and stripping Saints backup quarterback Luke McCown, then recovering the loose ball for a touchdown in a 23-14 Ravens win on Thursday night. That it happened in a stadium just two hours drive from his hometown of Daphne, Alabama, made it all the better.It was great to have that happen with family and friends watching, said Pierce, who celebrated by running toward the sidelined holding the ball above his head while teammates chased him. I hope Ive proved to the coaching staff that I deserve a spot on the team.Baltimores Josh Johnson passed for 181 yards and rushed for a 2-yard touchdown while helping keep the Saints winless for a second-straight preseason.The performance was an important one for Johnson, who is competing with Ryan Mallett to back up Joe Flacco.Mallett, who started, was 8 of 12 for 65 yards before Johnson was given a chance to finish the game.New Orleans has now lost nine straight preseason games, a streak that began against Baltimore in the Superdome at the end of the 2014 preseason.Saints coach Sean Payton had said when the preseason began that he thought it was important to try to win preseason games in order to cultivate a competitive edge on the heels of back-to-back 7-9 regular seasons. So following a sluggish outing by starters in a preseason loss to Pittsburgh a week earlier, Payton elected to play his starters early against the Ravens.But the offensive line, which has struggled this preseason, continued to do so. Baltimores defense registered three sacks -- one of which resulted in a fumble for a touchdown -- and held the Saints to 259 total net yards.My experience is you just cant turn a switch, Payton said. We played a lot of starters to start the game on both sides of the ball and its been a while since weve done that.Drew Brees started at quarterback for New Orleans and led the Saints to a field goal on his only drive, going 3 of 6 for 40 yards. Luke McCown replaced Brees but struggled, completing only two passes on four attempts. Garrett Grayson finished the game for the Saints at quarterback, completing 11 of 16 passes for 98 yards and a late touchdown on a 3-yard pass to fullback Austin Johnson.ROOKIE WATCHRavens: Pierce finished the preseason with six total tackles, 1 1/2 sacks and a quarterback hit to go with his forced fumble, fumble recovery and touchdown. Linebacker Kamalei Correa, a second-round pick, started at inside linebacker. He assisted on one tackle. Outside linebacker Victor Ochi had a sack. Rookie defensive tackle Willie Henry was flagged for roughing the passer on a failed fourth-down pass, setting up Graysons TD pass on the next play.Saints: Defensive tackle David Onyemata, a fourth-round pick out of Manitoba, had what appeared to be a sack of Johnson, but it was wiped out by rookie cornerback Ken Crawleys illegal contact penalty. Receiver Jordan Williams-Lambert caught two passes for 41 yards, including a late 30 yarder to set up New Orleans lone TD.POSITION BATTLESRavens: Alex Lewis started at left guard with John Urschel nursing an undisclosed contusion. Receiver Breshad Perriman, a 2015 first-round draft pick who has been riddled with knee injuries, finally took his first live game snaps for the Ravens. He caught two of four passes thrown his way for 25 yards.Saints: Kicker Kai Forbath hit a 36-yard field goal. Hes competing to keep his job against Connor Barth, who made a 40-yarder. John Jenkins, who is competing for snaps at defensive tackle, was credited with two sacks.QUOTABLERavens: It felt just like a sigh of relief. ... For me to get that first catch and just being out there with my teammates, it was great. -- Perriman on his first game action.Saints: Its an awful feeling any time you lose. That being said, there is a ton of winning experience in that locker room. -- Payton on going 0-4 this preseason.INJURY UPDATERavens: Defensive back Carrington Byndom left the game with a hamstring injury. Defensive tackle Carl Davis left with a left ankle injury.Saints: The Saints did not report any injuries and none were apparent during the game.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Vans Shoes Sale . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Authentic Vans Shoes For Sale .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. http://www.cheapvanstrainers.com/ . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Everybody has a favorite Arnold Palmer memory.Maybe its that time you followed him at a tournament. At one point, he was seemingly in trouble behind a mammoth oak tree, only to hitch up his slacks, take a mighty lash with a 5-iron and land his ball on the green. To this day, you swear he looked right at you afterward and offered a knowing wink.Or maybe its when you ran into him at a restaurant. You didnt want to interrupt, but the man had always been your hero. So you nervously approached and asked for an autograph, only to have that chance encounter turn into him regaling you with a 15-minute story about the good ol days.Or maybe youre not even much into golf. Maybe you only know him because a family member was cared for at the hospital bearing his name. Or because he contributed to your favorite charity. Or just because those old black-and-white pictures make him look like the coolest guy who ever lived.Everybody has a favorite Arnold Palmer memory, because he impacted every single one of us.And now, after hearing of his death at the age of 87, these memories come rushing back.He wasnt just a brilliant golfer; he was the man who ushered the game into the television era. He wasnt just an icon of the sport; he grew to become one of the worlds most recognizable figures.The word legend is thrown around too often these days, but Palmer epitomized the very definition. He founded his own hospital, flew his own plane and concocted his own drink -- and that was just in his spare time.Most of the favorite memories about the man fondly known as The King are personal interactions. People meeting him, speaking with him, taking photos with him, receiving his meticulously penned signature on a hat or ticket stub. And of course, being a member of Arnies Army.My favorite memory is a private one. So private that it includes only him, alone.It was two years ago. Id played Palmers beloved Bay Hill course with some buddies, even stopping at the turn to get a photo with him, like so many thousands of others had done before. After the round, we had lunch and I wasnt in a rush to leave, so I headed back out to the practice green.Within a few minutes, some 50 yards away, a cart pulled up to the far right side of the driving range, two bags of clubs strapped into the back, as always.This wasnt the range where hed developed his game as a youngster. No, that was some 1,000 miles north at Latrobe Country Club, where his father had been the head professional and superintendent and where Arnold, even recently, would sometimes sneak his lunch down to the locker room and eat on a bench near the showers while swapping stories with his old buddies.He came to Bay Hill later in life, once he was already a champion and an icon. He didnt just hit golf balls on that range. He taught -- and yes, he might have even learned a little. Cheap Vans Free Shipping. ust six months ago, while playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his grandson, Sam Saunders, recalled a time when a lesson on that range turned into so much more. When a few people stopped by to say hello, Palmer took the opportunity to needle him a bit.He was going to try and embarrass me, Saunders recalled. He wanted to toughen me up; he wanted to make me feel uncomfortable. So he said, If this boy will just listen to me, hell be all right. Otherwise hes going to end up driving a tractor. Then he puts that big giant fist right in my face and said, What are you gonna do, boy, if I pop you in the nose? I got right back in his face and said, Ill knock you out, old man. And he got tears in his eyes. I knew thats exactly what he wanted. He was testing me.This wasnt the range where he honed his game; it was the range where hed tried to hold onto it for as long as he could.On that day two years ago, just before his 85th birthday, I watched as the familiar figure pulled up in his cart. Using a club as a cane, he ambled over to a spot on the range and moved a single ball from a pile closer to him. He took a few practice swings, then settled in to his stance, reached back and swung through it.Id love to tell you that the ball soared high into the mid-afternoon sky, his mighty lash no different than a half-century earlier. It didnt. It traveled no more than 100 yards or so. Palmer watched it, and shook his head. He checked his grip. He moved another ball closer. He swung again. Same result.Again and again, maybe 20 times, he hit shots with that club, shaking his head in disappointment after each one. This was a man years removed from tournament golf. He wasnt preparing for any big competition, didnt need to get his game in shape for anything coming up.There he was, though. Still trying. Still digging for secrets in the dirt. Still hoping that somehow, on the precipice of turning 85, the magic would return and hed start hitting towering shots down the range once again, reliving the glory days of his youth.The coolest man in the room. The champion, the icon. The philanthropist and pilot and drink inventor. The man who accomplished so much in his life, still wanted more. He wanted to hit that little white ball the way hed once done.When he was finished, Palmer used the club as a cane, easing himself into the drivers seat of the cart. He sat there for a few minutes, every once in a while looking back toward the range and shaking his head again. Finally, he drove away, unsatisfied with his game. Unsatisfied with himself.That will always be my favorite Arnold Palmer memory. Everybody has one. Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Hockey Jerseys China Nike Baseball Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys China Cheap Football Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys Canada Wholesale Nike MLB Jerseys Canada Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic Canada Stitched Soccer Jerseys Canada Cheap Jerseys Canada NFL ' ' '