Bewerbungen » les first played in China in 2001

The kind of parity the NFL wants has been on display in the NFC West over the past half-decade.San Francisco won two straight division titles in 2011-12, following by Seattle winning the division in 2013 and 2014. And last year, it was Arizonas turn to snatch away the division crown from the Seahawks, the Cardinals first division title since 2009.It seems inevitable that either Arizona or Seattle will find itself back on top of the division in 2016, as both are considered among the elite of the NFC.The Rams are beginning a new chapter, returning to Los Angeles with renewed excitement but the same questions whether they can advance beyond being an average franchise.And the 49ers are rebuilding for a second straight year, this time under new coach Chip Kelly after a failed attempt with Jim Tomsula in charge.Heres a look at the four teams:LIGHT YEARS: Seattle believes it has rediscovered its swagger from the 2013 Super Bowl title season. Theres no Super Bowl hangover from winning or losing to deal with, just the bitterness of an NFC divisional playoff loss to Carolina.Despite a calm offseason, Seattle still has flaws. Its shaky on the offensive line and the performance of the blockers could determine Seattles offensive success. If given enough time, Russell Wilson appears ready to build on last years evolution as a passer and his connection with Doug Baldwin, who tied for the NFL lead with 14 TD catches.The Seahawks have been the top scoring defense in the NFL the past four seasons, and that remains the expectation with the likes of Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Earl Thomas and Bobby Wagner still in their primes.I am seeing the same joy, the same intensity, same passion (as 2013), Sherman said. Guys just playing for one another and appreciating one another.LEARN TO FLY: The Cardinals were 13-3 last season to win the division and are 34-14 under Bruce Arians. Theyve proven they can win in Seattle, a prerequisite to contending in the division.But there is urgency surrounding Arizona. Carson Palmer is coming off his best season, but threw four interceptions against the Panthers in the blowout loss in the NFC title game. Palmer turns 37 in December and Larry Fitzgerald turns 33 on Wednesday, so the opportunity for success may be shrinking.Running back David Johnson showed last season he can be a great complement to Palmer and the passing game, while the defense should be buoyed by the acquisition of Chandler Jones, the drafting of Robert Nkemdiche, and return of Tyrann Mathieu.BACK IN CALI: The Rams have a second honeymoon going with Los Angeles after their return home from St. Louis, with 89,140 fans setting an NFL preseason attendance record for their opener.But the good feelings in Los Angeles will be tested if the Rams struggle early with a defense that lost a few key contributors and an offense that didnt add much beyond No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff, currently the backup to Case Keenum.Its not up to me. Again, its something that Id love to do, but its not my decision, Goff said of being the starter. Thats what they pay the coaches for, and thats what theyre here for.Jeff Fisher hasnt coached a winning team since 2008, but hes banking on steady improvement across the board and another big year from running back Todd Gurley to alter the steady mediocrity of his first four Rams teams.The Rams have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL with the likes of Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn, but it may not be enough to move beyond .500.FREE FALLIN: The 49ers have taken a rapid fall from perennial NFC contender to also-ran in recent seasons. After a failed experiment with Jim Tomsula in place of Jim Harbaugh, the Niners are turning to Kelly in hopes that his up-tempo style that was so successful in college at Oregon and early in his tenure with the Eagles will translate to San Francisco.Kelly has a tall task, starting with finding a quarterback. Colin Kaepernicks career has plummeted since nearly winning a Super Bowl following the 2012 season, and his insistence on not standing for the national anthem has sparked something of a furor across the nation.Blaine Gabbert, who was elevated last season when Kaepernick struggled and was injured, could start despite a career 55.8 completion rate. At receiver, Torrey Smith is the only proven commodity.The solid defense is led by linebacker NaVorro Bowman and recent first-round picks Eric Reid, Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner.I dont ever put a ceiling on a team, 49ers GM Trent Baalke said. In 2011, a lot of people wanted to put a ceiling on this team and we did pretty well. This is a young football team. Theres a lot of competition out there.PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: Seahawks, Cardinals, Rams, 49ers.---AP Sports Writers Josh Dubow and Greg Beacham contributed to this report.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Custom Jaguars Jersey . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Authentic Custom Jaguars Jersey .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. http://www.customjaguarsjersey.com/ .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. Custom Josh Allen Jersey . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Custom Jaguars Jerseys . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. It started with a hoverboard.Near the height of the popularity of the handleless-riding devices, Alex Scales brought one to the gym for his usual workout. One thing led to another, and a trick-shot series was born.I was on a hoverboard messing around at the gym, Scales said. One of my guys was like, I bet you cant make it from there. So I just shot a 3, and then I made it, and it just caught on from there.In an effort to keep things fresh at his workouts, Scales turned that one video into Trick Shot Tuesday, a series where he posts new and increasingly impressive trick shots every week on his Instagram account. The shots have enjoyed plenty of viral moments and multiple appearances on the SportsCenter Top 10.The one that really caught fire was the one I did the actual push-up on, he said of the video that shows him making a hook shot from half court while doing a push-up off of the basketball. That was probably one of the hardest ones that Id done, because of the fitness you need to be able to have to do it.Scales doesnt have any long-term plans for his trick-shot game, aside from growing his Instagram following (hes currently hovering just above 2,000). Nor does he spend too much time practicing his craft in the gym at Arizona State where he works out. He said he usually comes up with the shot for Trick Shot Tuesday that day and often completes the whole process -- from conception to practice to filming the final product -- in about 30 minutes.I had one where I kicked it. I was like, You know what, Im only gonna give it five tries. After these five tries, Im done, Scales said. Then I made it on the fifth try. It just depends on the difficulty of the shot. Some of the ones that people are like, Man, that was crazy, that looked difficult, Im like, That was one of my easier shots.Those who dont know Scales background might think its improbable that hed be able to complete trick shots with such ease. But hes not just a random person posting trick-shot videos on Instagram. Scales spent 15 years as a professional basketball player and once held an NBA record -- for the shortest career.Scales, who went undrafted out of Oregon in 2000, made his NBA debut -- and farewell -- on Nov. 19, 2005, for the San Antonio Spurs, playing just 9.2 seconds at the end of a 97-91 win over the Phoenix Suns. He shared the court with future Hall of Famers Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, along with ESPNs Bruce Bowen, who had his number retired by the Spurs in 2012.A week later, Scales was waived and never got another shot at the NBA. San Antonio was his fourth and final stop in the league, after he had preseason stints with the New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets and Seattle SuperSonics. Scales thought he had his best shot at an NBA breakthrough in Seattle.dddddddddddd.When I was with Seattle, there was a great write-up about me, he said. This is when Rick Brunson had his first guaranteed contract. They had written in the paper that [the Sonics] had a million-dollar question: Do they keep Rick Brunson or Alex Scales? Ray Allen was quoted in the paper saying, Alex Scales is the only one playing like he belongs here.The Sonics cut Scales at the end of the preseason, and then he was picked up two weeks later by the Spurs. It was the third time in his career that he thought hed done everything he needed to do in the preseason to make the roster, only to end up on the wrong end of the waiver wire.It was just a sad situation to see a guy who did everything he was supposed to do, was productive when he got in the game, to not get an opportunity, he said. Because I felt like if I would have gotten that opportunity, I wouldve been something special.With the NBA door closed to him, Scales went to the D-League and eventually back to Europe, where hed started his professional career in 2000 in Italy. Scales last played professionally for Tadamon Zouk in Lebanon, the culmination of a 15-year career that saw him also make stops in China, Argentina, South Korea, Spain, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and Puerto Rico. When he was in China, he had his most memorable experience of culture shock.I wanted some shrimp, so they come out, they bring me some shrimp, he said. Its got the eyes, the legs -- Im like, Man, what is this? Im not used to this shrimp!Scales first played in China in 2001-02, before Yao Ming came over to the NBA, and again two seasons later, when the NBA boom was just beginning in the country. He said its been impressive to watch how much the game has grown in China, but he does regret one aspect of that.The pay [in China] is 18,000 times more than what it was then, Scales said. I tell people now that I grew up in the wrong era.Now 38, Scales knows the window is closing on his basketball career, but hes trying to keep it open as long as possible and says hell listen to any team that calls to inquire about his services. But until then, hell keep making trick-shot videos every Tuesday, and he hopes they can entertain and motivate people.If something comes up out of it, itd be great, but at the same time, I like doing it to see peoples reactions, he said. People are like, I could never do anything like that. But I always emphasize that practice makes perfect, so theres always something youre capable of doing if you put your mind to it. So thats why I go about it. ' ' '