Group Info

among 185-pound contenders -

CHARLOTTE, N. Diamondbacks Jerseys 2020 .C. - Cam Newton must find a way to beat his biggest nemesis for the Carolina Panthers to advance to the NFC championship game.The fourth-year quarterback is 0-3 in his career and has struggled to find the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks, Carolinas opponent in Saturday nights divisional playoff game.Newton has led only one touchdown drive in those three losses to the Seahawks.Hes barely completed 50 per cent of his passes and is averaging just 145 yards passing per game. Hes been sacked eight times and three turnovers, including two fumbles. Newton has also been limited to 104 yards on the ground and has not scored a touchdown rushing against Seattle.I cant really put a finger on it, Newton said of his struggles against the Seahawks. They have great players and theyre coached extremely well.Seattle coach Pete Carroll said the Seahawks havent done anything special against Newton.Weve just tried to play football and hold on — and weve been able to get that done, Carroll said.This will be Newtons first time playing in Seattle, so battling crowd noise will certainly add to Newtons challenges.Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he believes Newton will be fine as long as he doesnt try to force the action against the leagues No. 1-ranked defence.He just has to take what they give him, Rivera said. I know one thing about him is that he is so competitive and he wants to make things happen, but I think exercising the right type of patience will be good for him.Rivera said Newton has shown he can do just that in recent weeks.While his stats havent been spectacular, Newton has gotten the job done and the Panthers (8-8-1) have won five straight games.If Cam plays the way he has in some of the games in this past five-week stretch there are some really good possibilities for us, Rivera said.Still, odds-makers arent giving Newton and the Panthers much of a chance of winning on the road. They opened the week as an 11-point underdog.Rivera said the Panthers will need to perform better in the red zone to have a chance — something theyve struggled with most of the season and in past games against Seattle — and not turn the ball over.Carolina settled for three field goal attempts last Saturday in a 27-16 wild-card win against Arizona and also had three turnovers, two by Newton.When I look back at this past game, we had ample opportunities to score, Newton said. We had a couple of turnovers, senseless turnovers at that. Me being the number one on the blame list being the leader of this offence, we just have to do better. If we do that, who knows what the game will turn out to be?Newton doesnt anticipate the Panthers doing anything differently than they have been in recent weeks.Theyve leaned heavily on Jonathan Stewart in the running game the past five weeks and are averaging 196.6 yards rushing per game during that span.Newton also said he wont hesitate to throw at Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman if the opportunity presents itself.Dont get me wrong, Richard Sherman is a top-tier cornerback, Newton said. But, if the read takes me there, I have to take it. Im not going to shy away from it.The Panthers may be without speedy wide receiver Philly Brown, which could limit Newtons options on offence.The rookie is still recovering from a shoulder injury he sustained against Arizona. He was limited Thursday at practice. Without him, the Panthers lack a deep threat.Rivera said Thursday hell make a decision on Browns playing status closer to kickoff.The Panthers are taking practice squad player Stephen Hill with them to Seattle in case Brown cant play, and they decide to add another wide receiver to the 53-man roster.Brown said he feels well enough to play, but the decision will be up to the coaching staff.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ;Stefan Crichton Jersey . Replay backed him up. Adeiny Hechavarria immediately followed the ruling with a go-ahead sacrifice fly for the Miami Marlins, who held on to beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Sunday completing a three-game sweep. Diamondbacks Jerseys 2019 . Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks were proof of that on Wednesday night.Stefan (Skyscraper) Struve showed early on in his UFC career that he should never be counted out. At UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany, in June 2009, the six-foot-11 Dutch heavyweight was gushing blood out of his forehead after taking a string of hammer blows from Denis Stojnic while on his back in the first round. Stojnics forearm looked as if it had been dipped in blood. But a bloody Struve rallied in the second round to take Stojnics back and choke him out. The German crowd roared as Struve, his face a crimson mask and long torso tinged red from blood, rose in victory. "Thats one hell of a Band-Aid," UFC president Dana White said dryly, referring to a plaster the size of a cigarette package on Struves forehead at the post-fight news conference. Struves size -- he is the tallest fighter in UFC history and is tied for longest reach with light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones -- combined with slick kickboxing and submission skills have helped him rise up the heavyweight ranks while compiling a 9-4 record in the UFC. But his career appeared over last year when he was diagnosed with a rare heart condition. Given the OK to resume fighting by his doctors in the Netherlands and the UFCs cardiologist, Struve (29-6) returns to the cage Saturday when he takes on Matt Mitrione at UFC 175 in Las Vegas. "It looks good," Struve, who divides his training between the Netherlands and Los Angeles. "I just need to do checkups two times a year with my doctors in Holland and two times a year with my doctors in LA. "Thats no problem for me. I actually like that I know for sure that my heart is healthy." Mitrione (7-3) is a former NFL defensive lineman who switched to MMA via Season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality TV show in 2009. Struve, ranked 12th among heavyweight contenders, last fought in March 2013 when he suffered a broken jaw in a knockout loss to hard-hitting Mark Hunt in Japan. Struve says he had been sick for six weeks before the bout and was still under the weather during the fight. "I felt horrible." And he just couldnt recover after. "I just couldnt get over the jet lag. I couldnt sleep at night," he said. "I just didnt feel good and I didnt have any energy." He returned to full training some three months after the loss. Then one day at his parents house, he got dizzy standing up after working at the computer. He sat down and blacked out briefly, "which scared me because I had nevver had that. Jake Lamb Jersey. " He went to the hospital, which couldnt find anything but asked him to come back for a stress ultrasound test which uses high frequency sound waves to examine the hearts anatomy and function. "Thats where they found it," he said. Struve was diagnosed with a leaking aortic valve, as well an enlarged heart. It meant that his heart was only pumping 60 per cent of his blood into the aorta and then the rest of his body. The remaining 40 per cent was ending up back in the heart chamber. Doctors used medication to control his blood pressure and the demands on his heart. Struve says he will probably have to undergo surgery at some point but hopes to do it after his fighting career. "As it is right now, its getting better every day," he said. He kept training throughout, raising his regimen as his health improved. He also taught MMA, which he said he enjoyed immensely. "I just enjoy being healthy and living a good life," he said. "I love this sport." MMA takes a toll, however. While Struve puts on exciting fights, he has endured punishing knockouts losses at the hands of Junior Dos Santos, Roy (Big Country) Nelson, Travis Browne and Hunt. The big Dutchman says he feels a lot more energy these days. "And a lot more joy in life, if you want to say so, because if you feel tied all day long, youre just miserable." But Struve says he may have taken time off from fighting even if it hadnt had the heart scare. He had plenty on his mind. "This was by far the hardest year of my life," he added. "Not only because of this but my father passed away in October after being sick for a year and a half. And then there were some other things that happened close to me that really impacted me." Back training, his performance in the gym gives him confidence that ring rust wont be an issue Saturday night. While Struve says he has got on well with Mitrione in the past, he says its a "little strange" the American asked for the fight before he was cleared to compete again. Middleweight champion Chris Weidman defends his title against former light-heavyweight champion Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida -- ranked No. 3 among 185-pound contenders -- in the main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Womens bantamweight title-holder (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey takes on No. 2 Alexis Davis, a native of Port Colborne, Ont., who fights out of San Jose, in the co-main event. ' ' '
Share:

Users

Newsfeed

  • No items