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Feb 4 '19
A day before Louisville opened fall camp, receiver Reggie Bonnafon was flipping through his Twitter account ?killing some time, when he came across a video of his quarterback, Lamar Jackson, mugging for the camera at the end of the student centers basketball court. Jermey Parnell Jersey . Jackson palms a basketball then heaves it the length of the court, a high arc sailing over the hardwood and landing right on target, swishing through the net.Bonnafon shook his head. This is actually one of Jacksons more practiced tricks, but its still stunning to see the ease with which he unleashes his talent.Its like, man, hes ridiculous, Bonnafon said. But nothing really surprises us at this point.Jackson has only been on campus for just more than a year, but his mythology has already grown so vast that no story of his athletic prowess seems unbelievable.In May 2015, before hed even gotten to Louisville, he posted a high school highlight reel on Twitter with the caption, Louisville takeover, I promise accompanied the hashtag #Humble. Four months later, hed won the Cardinals starting QB job over three more experienced competitors. By years end, he was one of the hottest names in college football, torching Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl, a game he now refers to as his Kodak moment.Theres the story of Jackson bumping into Chicago Bulls guard Rajon Rondo on campus just a few days into summer session last year. Jackson was returning to his dorm with some teammates when he caught Rondos attention. The NBA star challenged the Louisville then-freshman to a foot race. Jackson had just come from a weightlifting session, and he wasnt sure he was up to it.You scared? Rondo prodded.Thats all it took. Jackson grinned, took his spot at the starting line, then left Rondo in the dust.Or theres the legend of how Jackson won his starting job at Boynton Beach High School. Hed transferred in from a small school nearby after his freshman year, and his grades were too low to play immediately. Still, he walked into coach Rick Swains office and announced, Im going to be your starting quarterback.Swain had heard raves from other players about Jacksons talent, but he wasnt convinced the kid was for real.I thought, either this kids got a lot of moxie, Swain said, or hes full of crap.The next semester, Jackson had earned straight As to revive his eligibility, and during a 7-on-7 game that spring, Jackson was so impressive that Swain revamped his offense from a Wing-T to a pistol to allow his new QB to showcase his skill set.Ive coached a lot of players that have gone on to play in the NFL, Swain said, but this kid has some intangible thing that not many people have.So when Louisville coach Bobby Petrino sat at ACC media days last month and suggested the Cardinals were a real threat to win the national championship in 2016, it didnt seem like such a lofty goal. Hes got Jackson on his side, and from there, anythings possible.Theres another video that made rounds on social media shortly after Jacksons first start for the Cardinals. In it, Jackson launches a football from the goal line on the far side of his high school football field. The ball soars high, gets lost briefly in the stadium lights, then emerges on the other side, dropping into the hands of a waiting receiver on the opposite goal line.Nevermind all the clicks that video earned. Somehow questions remain about Jacksons arm and his ability to win football games from inside the pocket.Petrino understands the concerns. He had them, too.We knew how good an athlete he was, Petrino said of Jacksons recruitment. The question was always whether he could throw and be a quarterback.It took just two practices for Petrino to be convinced hed found his QB. After a week of camp last year, Petrino decided Jackson would play as a freshman, and by halftime of Louisvilles opener against Auburn, Jackson had won the starting job.Still, one small problem remained.I know I can make any pass, Jackson said, but I didnt know anything [about the playbook].Instead, Jackson improvised.Behind a porous offensive line, Jackson zigged and zagged his way out of trouble, accelerating past linebackers and defensive backs with ease. By years end, hed racked up 1,143 rushing yards (excluding sacks), the fourth-most of any quarterback in the country. In the season finale against Texas A&M, he ran 22 times for 226 yards and two touchdowns.That was the easy part, Petrino said. This spring was about harnessing that big arm and putting the brakes on Jacksons legs.In 2015, Louisvilles spring scrimmages were open season on the quarterbacks, who werent given non-contact jerseys in order for the staff to get a better feel for eachs ability to scramble. This year, Petrino went the opposite direction. He refused to let Jackson leave the pocket.Hed run, Id blow the whistle, and hed get mad at me, Petrino said. Hed say, But coach, I couldve scored. But he needed to throw.As spring progressed, there were fewer debates. Jacksons eyes stayed up, his feet stayed quiet, and the offense exploded.It was Lamar Jackson 2.0, an upgraded edition of an already impressive piece of machinery. In the Cardinals spring game, Jackson completed 24 of 29 passes for 519 yards with eight touchdowns and no picks. He played just one series into the second half of the game.A lot of people dont think I can throw at all, Jackson said, so Ive got to show everyone.Jackson sat perched at a table surrounded by media at the ACCs annual kickoff event last month when one reporter flipped over the notepad Louisville had handed out earlier in the day. On the front was an action shot of Jackson, a sophomore with just eight career starts under his belt, now the face of the program.Thats pretty cool, Jackson said. Ive got to get one of those for my mom.The crowd laughed and Jackson beamed. The coronation seemed inevitable. By days end, the platitudes about Jacksons poise and confidence and maturity had devoured social media platforms. But the funny thing is, that might be the one place Jackson doesnt feel comfortable.I was uptight and nervous, he said of doing interviews last season. I didnt want to make a mistake.Jackson insists he doesnt even watch TV, so he has no idea what type of hype or criticism has been aimed his way, so the questions and the cameras mark the only time all the attention on him actually comes into focus.Yet here he was, cracking jokes and telling stories and interchanging boastful predictions with disarming charm.My feeling was hes going to be a big part of our program, and he needed to go learn how to enjoy it, Petrino said of bringing Jackson to ACC Kickoff. Hes a guy who likes life. He always has a smile on his face. Everyone got to see his personality and understand how special a young man he is.A reporter asked him if he was ever concerned he wouldnt fit in Petrinos offense.Nah, Jackson said. Im coachable.Another asked what he learned in last years loss 41-21 to Florida State.That we need to score more points, Jackson said.When pressed on his recruitment -- a late affair that didnt hit high gear until his senior campaign -- Jackson shrugged off the coaches who might have doubted him back then.High school is a small stage, he said. Im on the big stage now.One question after another, he responded with brevity and optimism. And this was Jackson in his least comfortable surroundings.Of course, thats not to say Jackson cant be flustered. When he screws up during practice, hes apoplectic. Its an issue Coach Swain struggled with during Jacksons prep career, and Nick Petrino, Louisvilles QB coach, has worked to address it this offseason, too. Swain once pointedly asked Jackson why he was so hard on himself. Jackson was unsurprisingly succinct in response: Im not supposed to make mistakes, he said.Perhaps that is Jacksons only true kryptonite this season. The expectations are so high, not just from outside the program, but from inside Jacksons own mind. Hes heading a team that is picked third in its own division, but Louisville fans believe Jackson can even the playing field with heavyweights Florida State and Clemson. His teammates spent the offseason building that hype machine, telling anyone who would listen about the huge strides Jackson made as a passer and how prolific this offense could be. And Jackson, too, hasnt shied from the bluster.This year, he said, when asked about his understanding of the playbook, its going to be easy.The bar is set high, but thats where Jackson likes it.Swain remembers pulling his prized protégé aside after practice one day at Boynton Beach. Swain had once considered law school, he told Jackson, but he loved football too much to give it up. He went into coaching instead, embarking on a hall-of-fame career. His one regret, he said, is that he didnt have the raw talent that Jackson possessed.If Id had that, Swain said, youd never be able to chase the records Id have set.Jackson grinned at his coach and shook his head.I dont know, coach, he retorted. I like doing things like that. Brandon Linder Jersey .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. Marcell Dareus Jersey . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. http:///...essler-Draft-Jersey/ . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Match factsWednesday, 23 November Start time 0930 local (0730 GMT)Big PictureDespite West Indies big win in Harare, on paper, these are two well-matched teams with plenty to play for: the winner will be guaranteed their place in the tri-series final. The relative inexperience in both squads makes it hard to pick an out-and-out favourite, and conditions in Bulawayo should also be a leveller. West Indies tied game against Zimbabwe will at least have acclimatised them a little more to the pitch and conditions at Queens, as Sri Lankas first match was rained off.Sri Lanka also have some ground to make up against West Indies after their trouncing in Harare. Their middle order remains unproven, and if this series can be viewed as something of an audition for the upcoming tour of South Africa, there will be several young players hungry to state their case - particularly against the greater firepower of West Indies quicks.Youth and international inexperience are also in no short supply for West Indies at the moment. It is obviously very early days yet, but without a head coach, and with virtually all of West Indies established senior batsmen in the wilderness, young captain Jason Holder desperately needs his peers to gel into a new core for the side. Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaites promising form will give him something to build and bank on, while Carlos Brathwaites bowling has been fairly effective in Zimbabwe.Both for this team and for the immediate future of West Indies cricket, every win is an important one in these circumstances. Though still ninth in the ICC ODI rankings, they are just one point behind Pakistan, and a strong show in their remaining games will put them within touching distance of Bangladesh at No. 7. Between now and September 30, 2017, the cut-off date for direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup, West Indies currently have 11 ODIs scheduled (not including the final of this tri-series), but eight of those matches are against a resurgent England ODI side, and five of those are in England. Thats a tough assignment for what could still be a fairly inexperienced squad, and so West Indies have a lot more than a place in Sundays final to play for tomorrow.Form guide(Last five completed matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka: LWLLLWest Indies: TWLLLIn the spotlightShai Hopes good form will buoy West Indies, and make him a target for Sri Lanka, while Suranga Lakmal will have to be at his best behaviour after he was fined 50% of his match fee for aggressively throwing the ball towards Zimbabwe opener Chamu Chibhabha during Mondays wash-out. Yet, the spotlight might be focussed on what is happening above Queens, rather than on the ground.All three teams will have an eye on the weather on Wednesday. If there is another wash-out, Zimbabwe will effectively be out of the running, needing a massive bonus-point win to draw level and increase their net run-rate. The threat of rain also makes the toss important - inclement weather is more likely in the afternoon, meaning there could be Duckworth-Lewis permutations while chasing. Finally, the drainage issues at Queens mean that even relatively modest rain could rule a match out entirely.There are two main areas of concern on the outfield, should it rain again - on the northern side of the ground, and also near the sight screen at the Airport End. Telvin Smith Jersey. Should there be any significant showers during this game, in the absence of a super sopper, drainage will be an issue, especially after the heavy rains of the last few days have saturated the soil.Teams newsSri Lankas XI barely got a look-in on Monday, and given that conditions are likely to be identical, there is no reason for Sri Lanka to fiddle with their line-up. The grip on this slow surface makes Dasun Shanaka a good pick.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Upul Tharanga (capt), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Sachith Pathirana, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Jeffrey VandersayWith two wickets in his last five games, and none in this series, the form of Sulieman Benn will be a worry for West Indies. Aside from Ashley Nurse, the other spin option in their squad is Devendra Bishoo, and given his gritty performance in the Tests against Pakistan last month, this change makes sense. Another player they might want to give a game to is Jason Mohammed, the hard-hitting middle-order batsman, though West Indies may want to secure their place in the final before tinkering with their top-six.West Indies (possible): 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Evin Lewis, 4 Shai Hope (wk), 5 Jonathan Carter, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Jason Holder (c), 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Ashley Nurse, 10 Devendra Bishoo, 11 Shannon Gabriel.Pitch and conditionsThe heavy downpours on Monday morning were followed by sunny and dry weather in the afternoon as well as the following day. Yet, the rainfall patterns at this time of the year are difficult to predict, and though the forecast suggests that Wednesday should be sunny and dry, some sort of precipitation is out of the question. Weather aside, there should be some early movement for the seamers who will be aided by cloud cover, as well as what appears to be a shade more green grass that has been left on the track for Wednesdays match. The track will probably still slow down to help the spinners later in the day.Stats and triviaWith 148 runs from two innings, Shai Hope is the leading run-scorer of the tri-series as well as the only century-maker.Shannon Gabriel, Carlos Brathwaite and Nuwan Kulasekara top the wickets table with five each, although Kulasekara has played one more (albeit truncated) game than the two West Indians.West Indies have played six ODIs at Queens Sports Club, winning three.In eight ODIs against West Indies, Kulasekara has taken 12 wickets at 22.08.QuotesWe know were playing good cricket. We had a good win against Sri Lanka [in Harare]. These lads work very hard on their fitness, and we do a lot of fielding drills in the days leading up to these matches, and the combination of those two things is starting to pay dividends. Were looking like a good fielding side, and at this level of the game, every run you stop is a run you dont have to score. West Indies batting coach Toby Radford has been most pleased with the young batsmen on this tour, but he has also noticed improvements in the field. 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 CanadaCheap NBA Jerseys Authentic Canada Stitched Soccer Jerseys Canada Cheap Jerseys Canada NFL ' ' '
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