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NFL committee to propose changes to kickoff rule

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The labor fight is the NFL Jerseys Cheap focus these days, but the league is actually thinking about football too.

The competition committee will convene at the owners meetings in New Orleans next week and will recommend changes on kickoffs and instant replay, as well as ramping up the penalties for illegal hits.

The committee will propose moving the kickoff up from the 30-yard line to the 35, and bringing a touchback out to the 25, as opposed to the 20. That would reduce the number of kickoff returns, for safety reasons, as the league has determined there are too many concussions and major injuries on those plays.

"We feel both need addressing," said Atlanta FalconsPresident Rich McKay, chairman of the competition committee. "We watched a lot of film and it is a play that we just think needs modification."



Under the instant-replay proposal, all scoring plays would be reviewable — offensive touchdowns, field goals and safeties. Also, the number of challenges a coach could make would go from three to two.

The third challenge, McKay said, "hasn't been used very much at all in the last four years, and we felt that we were taking so many plays away from the coaches and not putting them in the position of needing to challenge that we'd make that revision."

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The NFL also will be more aggressive in suspending players next season for flagrant illegal hits. There were no suspensions for those in 2010, even though the league was more vigilant about policing them and handing out fines.

"Frankly, now that notice has been given, players and coaches and clubs are very aware of what the emphasis is and we won't have that hesitation," said Ray Anderson, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations.

"Everyone will be very clearly on notice now that a suspension is very viable for us and we will exercise it."

Roy Hibbert scores 26 as Pacers beat Celtics 107-100

Roy Hibbert scored 26 points as the Indiana Pacers beat the Boston Celtics 107-100 on Monday night and remained in sole possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race.Danny Granger scored 18 points and Darren Collison added 17 for the Pacers.Boston point guard Rajon Rondo started after missing Sunday's game against Minnesota with a jammed finger on his right hand. Coach Doc Rivers said before the game that Rondo would not play, but Rondo scored 10 points in the first 5:10 and finished with 22 points and eight assists.
Paul Pierce led Boston with 23 points, and Glen Davis added 20 for the Celtics, who are fading in their quest to catch Chicago for the best record in the East.
The Celtics shot 4-for-14 in the fourth quarter, and have lost seven of their last 12.
The Pacers entered a game ahead of Charlotte and two games ahead of Milwaukee for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Charlotte beat Milwaukee on Monday, so the Pacers remained a game ahead of Charlotte and extended their lead over Milwaukee to three games.
Monday's game was tied in the fourth quarter before the Pacers made a run. Collison scored on a short jumper in the lane, then Hibbert found a cutting Brandon Rush to give Indiana a 98-94 lead. Collison then stole the ball from Rondo near halfcourt, and the 6-foot point guard went up for an emphatic two-handed dunk to put the Pacers ahead 100-94. A putback by Hibbert pushed Indiana's lead to eight with 3:52 to play.
Boston hung close, but Collison made a fadeaway jumper with 1:16 left, then made a driving layup with 34.4 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 106-100 lead.
Boston led 31-23 when Rivers sat Rondo for a rest. Indiana then went on a 14-4 run to take a 37-35 lead early in the second quarter.
Kevin Garnett was called for his third foul with 5:51 left in the second quarter, and starting centre Nenad Krstic was already out with three fouls. Indiana took advantage and took a 57-49 lead at halftime. Hibbert had 19 points before the break. Indiana shot 60 per cent, while Boston was at 59 per cent in the first half.
A three-point play by Hibbert early in the second half pushed Indiana's lead to 67-57, but Boston responded with an 8-2 run. A jumper by Ray Allen cut Indiana's lead to 69-65 and caused the Pacers to call timeout. The Celtics made six of their first seven shots in the second half.
Allen hit a three-pointer to put Boston up 72-71 with 5:04 left in the third quarter, and the Celtics extended their lead to 85-81 at the end of the period.
Notes: Hibbert scored 13 points in the first quarter on 6-for-7 shooting. ... Former Pacers Jermaine O'Neal and Troy Murphy were inactive for the Celtics. O'Neal was out with a sore left knee, while Murphy missed the game with a sprained right ankle.

NFL owners unfair in dispute

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As of this morning, we are 10 days into the NFL’s announced lockout of the players. The lockout stems from owners and the players’ union unable to strike a deal regarding the appropriation of $9 billion of annual league revenue.
The public is enraged as mainstream media frames the labor dispute as a greedy power struggle of millionaires (players) versus billionaires nfl jerseys cheap (owners). Owners, currently taking home $4.2 billion, have proclaimed they “take back our league and (expletive) do something about it,” according to Yahoo! Sports. Owners are upset that players are allotted $4.8 billion.
I encourage those who are able to stomach such a debate to make a more in-depth analysis. Consider that the average NFL career lasts fewer than four years. And 78 percent of NFL players are bankrupt or under severe financial distress within two years of retirement.
In a bold move, owners claimed they deserved an extra billion dollars and they went as far as proposing to extend the regular season from 16 games to 18. From a player’s perspective, not even Charlie Sheen is insane enough to agree to those terms.
As a Carolina football player, I’ve seen the rigors of a season. And in a 16-game NFL season, players already face considerable long-term physical health risks and cognitive damage.
Owners obviously do not sacrifice their health, but they do finance league operations and are entitled to their fair share of the revenue pie. However, imposing their clout on the players is unfair.
The issue of unjust player salaries is far from a new idea. Just ask one of the staunchest opponents of the current league revenue-sharing system, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.
Richardson, a former back-up NFL player, quit the NFL after being dissatisfied with his annual salary and corresponding raise. Richardson seems to have lost his perspective and even has publicly lamented player representatives for approaching him for “more money.” In politics, they call that a flip-flop.
Richardson’s Panthers are now valued at more than $1 billion, more than 400 percent of what he initially invested in the team in 1993. NFL teams in 2009 generated an average profit of $33 million.
Richardson claims the league’s current economic model cannot sustain itself and goes against basic business school principles.
Sorry Mr. Richardson, I have more faith in my Kenan-Flagler cohorts than that. Owners will continue to attempt to exploit players until their motives are exposed beyond the cheap rhetoric they feed the public.

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Owners have tried to paint the players as villains, accusing them of dodging the collective bargaining process. A closer investigation reveals that owners had initially squirreled away $320 million for additional security and bargaining leverage in the case of a lockout.
In a lengthy battle that has already seen lawsuits, injunctions and political involvement, remember to be mindful of whose pitch you listen to as you form your own independent model as to how to divvy up $9 billion.

Sullinger leads No. 1 Ohio State in Big Ten final

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INDIANAPOLIS—Jared Sullinger had 15 points and 11 rebounds and No. 1 Ohio State defeated Penn State 71-60 in the Big Ten tournament final on Sunday to strengthen its case for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.
Sullinger, the tournament's most outstanding nfl jerseys cheap player, averaged 16.3 points and 14 rebounds in the tournament to help the top-seeded Buckeyes (32-2) repeat as champions.
William Buford scored 18 points and Jon Diebler added 15 for the Buckeyes, who also won the league's regular-season title.

Talor Battle scored 24 points and Jeff Brooks added 19 for Penn State (19-14), which reached the final for the first time.
The Nittany Lions haven't reached the NCAA tournament since 2001. Penn State was trying to become the first team since Iowa in 2001 to win four consecutive games to claim the title.
Penn State's Tim Frazier, who scored 22 points in the semifinal win over Michigan State, didn't score against Ohio State until 6:50 remained and finished with five points.

The Nittany Lions had allowed 45.3 points per game in their three tournament wins, but Ohio State surpassed that total with 13 minutes remaining. The Buckeyes shot 64 percent in the second half.
The Buckeyes won their seventh straight game and became the second team in conference history to play in the final for three straight years. They became the first repeat tournament champion since Michigan State in 1999 and 2000, and both of those teams reached the Final Four.

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Battle drained two early 3-pointers, but Ohio State still led 10-8 before going on a 6-0 run that caused Penn State to call a timeout.
It took more than 9 minutes for a Penn State player other than Battle to score, but once his teammates began producing, the gap closed. Two free throws by Jermaine Marshall cut Ohio State's lead to 22-21.
Ohio State closed the half strong, and Diebler's 3-pointer over Battle at the buzzer gave the Buckeyes a 29-23 lead.
Ohio State continued its hot shooting early in the second half. Consecutive 3-pointers by William Buford and Aaron Craft gave the Buckeyes a 46-29 lead with 13 minutes remaining.
Battle drained a 3-pointer with 5 minutes remaining to cut Ohio State's lead to 57-47, but Sullinger responded with a three-point play that halted Penn State's rally.

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The parties had already agreed to a 24-hour extension before the original deadline of 11.59 pm Thursday (0459 GMT) but added another seven days after speaking with the federal mediator George Cohen Friday.
"At the request of the FMCS (mediator) the nfl jerseys cheap parties have agreed to a seven day extension ending the evening of Friday, March 11," said Cohen.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who along with the union has agreed not to discuss details of the talks, told reporters the latest step was good news.

"I think the fact that we are continuing this dialogue is a positive sign," he told reporters.
"This is going to get resolved through negotiations not litigation and so talking is better than litigating."

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The league's lead negotiator Jeff Pash said: "It is time for us to dig deep and try to find solutions and try to be creative and try to compromise in a way that will work for everybody."
The upbeat assessment was maintained by DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, who said he hoped for a deal and noted that time had been required to get the talks back on track.
"There is a commitment from both sides to engage in another round of negotiations and we look forward to a deal coming out of it.
"When you talk about trust, or confidence, none of those things are repaired quickly," he said.
Goodell and the NFL had feared the union would 'decertify' itself, freeing it from labor laws and allowing it to take on the league in court while the union was worried NFL owners would declare a lockout and effectively freeze out the players.
Andrew Zimbalist, professor of Economics at Smith College and author of a number of sports business books, said the latest development was a real sign of progress.
"It is certainly encouraging. The months of bluster and rhetoric have given way to a quiet mediation; that's the atmosphere in which deals get done," he told Reuters.
"There are reasonable compromises out there that can and will be made. In any event, it is certainly a lot better than a string of litigations and counter-litigations."
The chief sticking point in the talks is how to distribute the league's $9 billion in annual revenues.
Currently, the league gives the players about 60 percent of the revenue after it takes about $1.3 billion off the top for costs.

Jets likely to part ways with four high-profile veterans

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The New York Jets are strongly considering releasing nose tackle Kris Jenkins, linebacker Vernon 
Gholston, offensive lineman Damien nfl jerseys cheap Woody, and linebacker Jason Taylor, NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora reported on Monday, citing league sources.

None of those moves have been executed yet, but all are likely to occur within a day or two.
For more on the New York Jets, check out the latest from our bloggers.
» Blog Blitz: JetsThe Daily News reported on Monday that there remains a possibility the team will re-sign Jenkins, Gholston, Woody and/or Taylor to reduced salaries after they are cut.

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Jenkins tore his anterior cruciate ligament in back-to-back seasons, missing a total 25 regular-season 
and six playoff games since 2009. A second-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2001, Jenkins has 
been selected to the Pro Bowl four times, most recently in 2008, his first season in New York.
Woody confirmed the Jets' intentions on his Twitter page Monday.
"Just informed about my release....I want to thank the Jets and all the fans out there...it was a great 
ride!" Woody said.
Gholston, the Jets' sixth-overall pick in 2008, has played three years without recording a sack and is 
widely viewed as one of the biggest draft blunders in the team's history. He has two years remaining 
on his rookie contract.
Taylor, 36, signed a two-year deal with the Jets last year, finishing the season with five sacks, 25 
tackles and three fumble recoveries. It has been speculated that Taylor will retire, ending a 14-year 
career in which he registered 132.5 sacks.
Woody, 33, had been a rock on the Jets' productive offensive line, but was slowed by injuries last 
season and recently underwent surgery on a partially torn Achilles' tendon. Second-year lineman 
Vladimir Ducasse

Paralyzed Rutgers Player Makes Public Appearance

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Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand made his first public appearance since being paralyzed in a game against Army more than four months ago.
LeGrand attended a "Laugh to cheap jerseys Heal Comedy Fest Fundraiser" for him at the Rutgers Athletic Center on Saturday.
"I just want to thank everybody for coming out here today and I'm just going to keep on chopping during my rehab," LeGrand told the crowd of approximately 3,000 who attended the comedy show featuring Rutgers alumnus Bill Bellamy.

 

The event was for the "Eric LeGrand Believe Fund."
Rutgers spokesman Jason Baum did not know on Monday how much money was raised over the weekend.

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It was LeGrand's second trip to Rutgers since the injury. He also joined his teammates for the first team meeting of the semester in January.
The junior defensive tackle has resumed his coursework at Rutgers, joining via videoconference last month for a class on "Blacks and Economic Structures."
LeGrand remains paralyzed below the neck. The Avenel, N.J., resident fractured his C3 and C4 vertebrae while making a head-first tackle on a kickoff in the win over Army at New Meadowlands Stadium.
LeGrand has regained movement in his shoulders and is experiencing sensation throughout his body. He is undergoing rehabilitation at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, N.J.
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