GREEN BAY, Wis.
Custom Seattle Mariners Nike Jerseys . -- The Green Bay Packers offensive line is stuck between a state of shock and the need to move forward.The surprising release of three-time Pro Bowl left guard Josh Sitton over the weekend has been tough on the close-knit unit.Hes going to be a tough presence to fill there, a tough void there, right guard T.J. Lang said on Monday.Coach Mike McCarthy announced the Packers are going to fill Sittons spot with Lane Taylor when the season begins on Sept. 11 at Jacksonville.The timing of Sittons release so close to the start of the regular season doesnt help either, Lang said.Weve got to get ready to play a game in six days, the veteran added. Weve got to move on quick, because Jacksonvilles right around the corner.A fourth-year pro, Taylor has started two games in his career. He is coming off a preseason finale against Kansas City in which he was penalized twice for holding and once for a false start, and appeared to be late in picking up a blitz that resulted in a sack.Ive put in a lot of hours, a lot of time, taken a lot of reps. Im going to look forward to the opportunity, Taylor said.Sitton, who signed with the NFC North-rival Chicago Bears on Sunday, was a second-team All-Pro last season and a durable starter who missed only two games over the previous seven seasons.I have all the confidence in the world in Lane, McCarthy said. Hes earned this opportunity.While McCarthy said that he likes what Taylor has done in run blocking, The pass protection and some of the things -- particularly how we do it and what we do -- is something he just needs some game experience at. Thats part of the leap when you make changes.Sitton, 30, was entering the last year of a five-year, $33.75 million extension signed after the 2011 season. The contracts of three other offensive line starters -- left tackle David Bakhtiairi, center JC Tretter and right guard T.J. Lang -- are also due to expire after this season.In announcing Sittons release Saturday, general manager Ted Thompson said the move was made with a focus on what is best for the team and the growth of the offensive line.Sitton was known to play through injuries. He also caused a minor stir at midseason last year when, during a midweek football show for the Green Bay Press-Gazette newspaper, he said that the Packers offense had become too predictable. Teams know exactly what were going to do every week.Asked if the Packers were better with Taylor, McCarthy said, I dont think its fair to say that about anybody ... Every decision we make is in the best interest of improving all aspects of our program. This is not about one player. This about our football team.Lang thought the offensive line would be fine with Taylor, but Sitton had seen just about every look imaginable and could provide tips or wrinkles to combat those schemes.Thatll come in time with Lane, Lang said. But I have no doubt hes going to be a guy who can go out there and be the guy and do a good job of it.Game notes McCarthy said WR Jordy Nelson, who is coming back from a knee injury is a full go for practice this week and is expected to play against the Jaguars. ... The Packers have re-signed LS Brett Goode, who was the starting long snapper for most of the previous eight seasons before getting hurt in December.---AP NFL website:
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https:///...hillies-nike-jerseys . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. The game was extremely popular in England in those days. Television, which came to India much later, was big there even at that time. Wherever I went I was recognised as the wicketkeeper.We enjoyed the long tour. I was a teetotaller and they used to respect it in England. Fortunately I was not vegetarian and did not face too many problems.What struck me initially was that the crowd would clap for a maiden over. A good piece of fielding and a good throw was appreciated. Everyone applauds fine batting strokes but seeing sharp fielding appreciated showed how knowledgeable the crowd was.Frank Chester was one of the greatest umpires I have seen. There was no bias at all against us among the English umpires.Peter May was the best post-war English batsman I saw. Vinoo Mankad [slow left-arm] used to bowl a floater which used to come in with the same action instead of breaking away. Peter was batting [at Lords] when Vinoo bowled the floater on middle and leg. I knew the ball would come in, but I also understood that the great batsman that Peter was, he would pick it and try to glance it. Any other player would have blocked it but Peter glanced and I caught him down the leg side. At the end of the over, umpire Chester came running towards me from square leg and said,Well caught.What a fine wicketkeeper you are. I am surprised you werent selected for all the Tests, Chester told me later. That was a great compliment, but it was decided before the tour by the selectors that I and Khokhan Sen will play two Tests each.I once met the UK Deputy High Commissioner in the 70s. He asked me whether I had lofted Douglas Wright [England and Kent legspinner] for a six in Canterbury. The ball came to me in the crowd, he said.Godfrey Evans was an excellent keeper; whether it was diving, standing up, moving down the leg side, everything was well-timed.I got 50-odd in one of the tour games, and two girls came up to congratulate me after the days play. One of them pointed out my peculiar way of plonking my front foot forward and asked me why I did so. I must have subconsciously copied this style from DB Deodhar, but no one had ever pointed it out to me before. That is how closely people watch the game in England. The grounds used to be full, even for the county games.Fred Trueman was really fast, especially for us, as we didnt get such fast bowling in India. And to think that it was his debut series.Our tour allowances used to be meagre but the value of the rupee was also quite a lot then. To put it in perspective: when I was in college I had a lot of hair and used to get it cut for four [pauses] not rupees but annas [16 annas made a rupee]. Today there is no hair left but the cut costs Rs 60. We used to get about Rs 60 for five days of cricket. We were not professional back then; it is only now that the players are contracted. We were just happy to be representing India. It was a great honour. The idea of money was not there at all. Merchant and I received tthe same amount.
Custom Boston Red Sox Nike Jerseys. There was no difference between what the top players got and what the others got.Vijay Merchant and Vijay Hazare were of the top class and on par. Hazare, Vijay Manjrekar and Phadkar were very good players of the hook. Pitches in England were covered only for the Test matches, not for the county games. The ball comes slowly off a wet wicket, but when it is drying it gets very difficult. It bounces, turns, shoots, skids; it all depends on the different patches on the surface.You were selected for your respective place in the side and no one bothered about things like practice. It was entirely up to you. Our own bowlers used to bowl in the nets to our batsmen. There were no county bowlers available for practice.I was having breakfast at a Norwich hotel when a lady came up to me and asked if I was an Indian cricketer. She chatted for a while and asked me to say hello to her little boy. I want him to know that the colour of the skin may be different but all people are the same, she said.Alec Bedser had a normal incoming delivery and a legcutter. I was facing him when Dattu Phadkar told me that the ball pitching on leg stump will be the legcutter. He used to bowl it with the same action and it was very difficult to pick.I was speaking to the Worcestershire groundsman about the nature of the wicket when a girl came and asked me what I was doing alone - everyone else was dancing merrily in a party in the pavilion. She asked me to dance with her but I politely refused. She was disappointed as she was sure I would relent. I later came to know that some team-mates had a bet with her to get me to the dance floor. I didnt dance on the entire tour.The concept of fielding was not given any importance then in India. Once, in the Bombay Pentangular, Muslims were nine down and needed four runs. I was fielding on the boundary, and kept a stroke down to three. Next ball, KC Ibrahim pushed to covers. Shute Banerjee, the fast bowler, just had to pick up the ball and throw, but he didnt, allowing the batsmen to get away. I am a fast bowler; I am not expected to throw, he said. No one bothered with fielding, it was only batting and bowling. If one dropped a catch, nobody said anything, even the bowlers.The basic job of a keeper during those days was keeping. They were usually sent to open the innings and take the shine off the new ball. I remember a game where the keeper opened and batted the entire day for some 30-odd runs.A keeper has something else to do apart from catching and stumping. I understood this in a charity match under CK Nayudu. A few overs after the start, CK came to me and asked whether I was observing what the bowler and the batsman were doing. I realised that keeping is also about being friend, philosopher and guide to the captain. This incident helped me when I led sides later. ' ' '