PITTSBURGH, Pa.
Phillies Jerseys 2019 . - The way Ramon Foster figures it, the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line deserved a little bit of good karma. Heck, probably more than a little bit.Every spring over the last five years it seemed the Steelers would make retooling and rebuilding the offensive line a top priority. And every fall the five guys penciled in to start would either get hurt or get shuffled around to cover up a leak.It was frustrating and, at times, borderline cruelly comic:—Centre Maurkice Pounceys ankle injury that kept him out of the 2011 Super Bowl;—The busted knee for guard David DeCastro that hampered his rookie season in 2012;—Tackle Marcus Gilberts various nicks and scrapes;—The shredded knee that limited Pouncey to all of eight plays in 2013.So calling the line patchwork would be an insult to patches.Finally, mercifully, those days appear to be over. The backbone of Pittsburghs first division title since 2010 — and the most productive offence in franchise history — is the jelling of a line that has come of age now that its found a way to stay out of the trainers room. Pouncey, DeCastro and left tackle Kelvin Beachum didnt miss a start, while minor injuries forced Foster and Gilbert to sit a handful of games combined.Maybe we were owed one by the football gods, Foster said with a laugh.Either way, the group that takes the field Saturday night when the Steelers (11-5) host Baltimore (10-6) in the wild-card round is thriving. All five are young — ranging in age from 24-28 — but have each started at least 33 games. It goes from perennial All-Pro Pouncey to Beachum, a sixth-round flier in 2012 who has blossomed into an undersized but competent revelation protecting Ben Roethlisbergers blind side.The line — with more than a little help from tight ends Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, fullback Will Johnson and tailback LeVeon Bell — kept Roethlisberger upright and the Steelers rolling. Roethlisberger took every snap and was sacked just 33 times, easily the fewest in a season in which hes played every game — even though he set a career high with 608 passes. His protection got better as the season went along. Roethlisberger hit the ground just twice during the four-game winning streak that propelled the Steelers back to the post-season after a two-year absence.The results were scoreboard stretching. Pittsburghs 436 points were the most in the franchises 82-year history. Antonio Brown broke every significant team single-season receiving record, and Bell found enough room to finish second in the AFC in yards rushing and second in the league in yards from scrimmage.The season included a 43-23 domination of the Ravens on Nov. 2. While Baltimore managed to get to Roethlisberger three times, he still lit up the Ravens depleted secondary for 340 yards and six touchdowns.Hell likely need to be just as effective on Saturday with Bells status uncertain. The running back is dealing with a hyperextended right knee that forced him to miss practice again Thursday.Pittsburgh won the last meeting even with Bell being limited to 20 yards on 10 carries. If hes unable to go, it puts more pressure on the line to give Roethlisberger time to work against a defence that finished with 49 sacks, second most in the league. Baltimores front seven will be bolstered by the return of nose tackle Haloti Ngata, who sat the last four games after violating the NFLs policy on performance enhancing drugs.We know theyre going to be coming, Beachum said. Theyve got some great players, but were playing with a lot of confidence.A feeling that trickles from the top down.The Steelers hired Hall of Famer Mike Munchak as their third offensive line coach in as many years. Munchaks calming presence simplified the blocking scheme. It also worked in lockstep with offensive co-ordinator Todd Haleys commitment to a creative scheme that requires Roethlisberger to get the ball out of his hands quickly.Foster calls Munchak by far one of the best coaches Ive been around, one who isnt prone to wild mood swings.If you have a bad play, hes not going to make it seem like youre the worst player in the world, Foster said. He wants you to build on top of that.The foundation set over the last four years is at last paying dividends the Steelers believe will extend into Saturday night and beyond.Weve got to put it on our shoulders, Foster said. Its like Ben said, this team goes as far as the offensive line goes and weve got to be good.___AP NFL website:
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www.twitter.com/AP_NFL href="https://www.cheapphilliesjerseys.us/" target="_blank">Custom Philadelphia Phillies Jerseys . When the next inning rolled around Wednesday, though, Nationals manager Matt Williams sent Strasburg to the mound to face the top of the Dodgers order in what would become a 3-2 victory for Washington, the first time this season the No.
Fake Phillies Jerseys . It all would have been for naught, however, had it not been for some clutch shooting in the fourth quarter by Kobe Bryant and a couple of equally critical hustle plays by Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol in the final minutes.LONDON - Eden Hazard netted twice and Didier Drogba scored his first goal since returning to Chelsea in a comprehensive 6-0 victory over Maribor in the Champions League on Tuesday.Hazard scored the last two goals against the Slovenian club, including one from the penalty spot, as Chelsea consolidated top spot in Group G in a ruthless manner.Drogbas two-month search for a goal ended in the first half shortly after replacing Loic Remy, who sustained a groin injury while netting Chelseas opener in the 13th minute.Just like his last Chelsea goal — the winning strike in the 2012 Champions League final shootout — Drogba netted his 158th for the London club from the penalty spot.We scored two goals but we didnt stop, we continued to play, Drogba said. We have a lot more quality than the previous (Chelsea) teams I played with, the team is younger.The Premier League leaders supremacy was never in doubt after captain John Terry scored his first goal in 13 months, and Maribor defender Mitja Viler inadvertently diverted Eden Hazards ball into his own goal at the start of the second half.Maribor squandered the chance of a consolation goal when Agim Ibraimi hit a penalty against the post, but Hazard did find the target from the spot before completing the rout in the 90th minute.Chelsea remains two points ahead of Schalke, which clinched a 4-3 victory over Sporting Lisbon in stoppage time when Eric Choupo-Moting scored a penalty.But Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho must now cope with Drogba as his only fit striker for Sundays Premier League match at Manchester United, with Remy joining Diego Costa on the sidelines.We dont cry on injuries, itt is our philosophy, Mourinho said.
Phillies Jerseys China. One injury means an opportunity for somebody else.On Tuesday that meant Remy started in place of Costa, who has a hamstring problem, and the France striker took just 13 minutes to score his first Champions League goal.But there was no chance to score another after he sustained a groin injury that could keep him out for two weeks, allowing the 36-year-old Drogba to come off the bench.Drogba, who is back at Chelsea on a season-long deal, had barely touched the ball when he extended Chelseas lead from the penalty spot after Ales Mertelj handled Willians low pass.I was surprised (and) not particularly pleased because I have my choices and my choice is Eden is the first-choice (penalty taker), Mourinho said. But because it was a goal, I am happy with that.Terry took his chance, the centre back charging forward into an unusually advanced position to meet Cesc Fabregas cross after Hazard had launched the counterattack.Although Hazard had a low strike saved before half time, nine minutes into the second half the Belgium internationals cross from a tight angle was turned in by Viler.In a performance that deserved a goal, Hazard regained penalty taking duties from Drogba in the 77th after Branislav Ivanovic was fouled by Marko Suler.Then Nathan Ake, the 19-year-old who replaced Fabregas to make his Champions League debut, sent the ball high over the top to Hazard, who twisted and turned before curling a shot into the net.Chelsea is a team that punished us very fast, Maribor coach Ante Simundza said through a translator. The quality of their players was out of our reach. ' ' '
