Kritik und Lob » Thibodeau) and Houston (Mik

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- With the departure of Sean Smith, the Chiefs are looking to second-year cornerback Marcus Peters as he steps into the role of the teams No.1 cornerback.Peters had a breakout rookie season with eight interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, and accolades included a trip to the Pro Bowl and being honored as The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year.Just three days into camp, players and coaches believe Peters is just getting started. Veteran safety Ron Parker paid the Washington alumnus perhaps the ultimate compliment.Ever since day one when he walked in the door last year, I never looked at him as a rookie. Parker said. He came in humble, quiet and he always worked from day one. He always made plays and he always carried himself like a veteran player, he never carried himself like a rookie.Coach Andy Reid has seen his share of top corners, from Brian Dawkins to Troy Vincent. Reid said he believes Peters can create his own legacy.Im not sure you can name somebody, I wouldnt even go there, Reid said. I think hes going to do his own thing and put his own mark on it.Reid recalled a play that Peters made on the second day of practice.He had a play yesterday where we had them dead in the water, Reid said. He just -- he read the coverage, read the throw and just peeled off and went covering deep and made a play on it. Not a lot of guys in this league can do that. They dont have the instinct and skill to do that. Hes got great hips, good instincts.Receiver Chris Conley was part of the same draft class and the second-year receiver from Georgia talks about how that relationship has translated into how they work together on the field.The good thing about working with each other is weve been able to have conversations and Im able to ask him what did you see in my route right there, he said. Sometimes hell ask me what are you thinking on this combination, its been a really good relationship for each of us to learn from each other.Conley said Peters instincts lead to confidence.Marcus is -- hes a baller, Conley said. You know thats one word you can use to describe him. Hes always a guys who does everything right.Mark Melancon Jersey . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. Orlando Cepeda Braves Jersey . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. https://www.cheapbraves.com/2223o-matt-joyce-jersey-braves.html . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. Austin Riley Jersey . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. Francisco Cervelli JerseyThe story lines are as long as a Stephen Curry 3-pointer.With a superteam in the West, a megastar in the Midwest, superstars all around the league, its global popularity at an all-time high, more revenue than ever and labor peace looming, this season has the potential to be like no other the league has ever had. Yes, rivaling the Celtics run in the 1960s, possibly topping Magic-Bird rivalry of the `80s and Michael Jordans run of the `90s.LeBron James is holding the title in Cleveland and Kevin Durant has settled in Golden State, so the NBA Finals could be headed for the same destination again next June.But what a journey it should be getting there.I think there is a somewhat an inevitability of this Cleveland-Warriors meeting in the finals again, which can sometimes make you overlook how enjoyable the regular season can be if you love basketball, ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy said. So I think theyll meet in the finals again, but that doesnt make the regular season uninteresting to me.A summer spending spree created new contenders and enticing questions for a global audience that will begin being answered Tuesday when the new season opens in the places the last one ended.The record-setting Warriors will be must-see TV again with Durant, the former scoring champ and league MVP, sharing shots with Curry, the current scoring champ and MVP.James is on a Jordan-like run, looking for a seventh straight trip to the NBA Finals and hoping to build a dynasty where there was once just despair.Theres Dwyane Wade in Chicago and Dwight Howard in Atlanta after both went home.Derrick Rose left home, traded from the Bulls to the New York Knicks.Former Commissioner David Stern used to say the NBA was in its golden age.Under Adam Silver, it may be even shinier.There are a lot of charged-up players in this league, Silver said. There are a lot of teams, young teams in the development cycle, where I think they would even say realistically theyre unlikely to win the championship this season, but theyre on the road to winning a championship.He will give James and the Cavaliers their rings before the season opener, and Durant joins Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson in the expensive and explosive Warriors lineup later that night against San Antonio.Their teams are heavily favored to meet in the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year, a rivalry that could turn into something like the Celtics-Lakers, or before that of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.But this is no two-team show.Its tough, Green said. But at the same time Im almost certain that its a goal of (Clevelands) to get back to try to win a championship.dddddddddddd With that being said, theres a lot of great teams in this league. And theyre not saying were going to watch the Cavs and the Warriors in June.Like Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City being defiant, not devastated by Durants departure the way the Cavs were when James bolted for Miami in 2010.Or young stars like Karl-Anthony Towns growing up into the spotlight, now that Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, titans for so long, have grown old and retired. And yet another batch of unmatched international talent, led by No. 1 pick Ben Simmons, an Australian whose debut will be delayed as he recovers from a foot injury.Its what the league sought to create during the 2011 lockout, when more revenues were shifted from players to teams in hopes the clubs would then distribute them better and chip away at the gulf between the big-market haves and the little-market have-nots.Money really started pouring in with the extension of the leagues national TV contracts, which kicked in this season to the tune of about $2.6 billion annually. The TV deal has sent salaries soaring so much that owners and players are poised to agree to a new labor agreement soon without the type of fight that led to the last one.The wealth of talent, and the wealth to acquire it, has emboldened teams to spend now where they once may have stood pat.Durant, Al Horford and many more switched teams during the dizzying days of July free agency, with the Spurs putting Pau Gasol alongside Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge into the frontcourt spot that Duncan for so long had anchored.A third of the league changed coaches, with clubs like Minnesota (Tom Thibodeau) and Houston (Mike DAntoni) turning to proven winners to steer them through the rough Western Conference waters.The Spurs or Clippers could emerge as the toughest test out there for the Warriors. Things look easier for James in the East, where he has emerged as the champion for six straight years. But he never thinks about what happened in the past.There are going to be so many more challenges, so many different obstacles that were going to have to face this year as a ballclub, James said. We have to be mentally focused, mentally prepared for it all. I think we will, be but it will not be easy and it shouldnt be.Silver, who should definitely like what he sees, summed up the anticipation:Im looking forward to the season. ' ' '