Clan-Members » es since returning from a finger injury, Gord

Eight years ago, Kliff Kingsbury had only begun to learn the art of whispering to quarterbacks. He worked as a quality-control assistant at Houston, sharing an apartment with offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen as they cooked up schemes for coach Kevin Sumlin.Kingsbury, at age 29 and fresh out of the professional ranks, knew a thing or two about great quarterback play, though, and as he peered over the landscape, he marveled at the passers in the Big 12 -- seven who topped 3,000 passing yards in 2008 and five who led their teams to more than 40 points per game.It was the dawn of a prolific era in college football, on the wings of which Kingsbury has refined a passing empire at Texas Tech in three seasons. The coach recalls with fondness his view of the Big 12 quarterbacks. No group was better nationally.And Kingsbury issues these words of wisdom about the current crop of QBs in the conference: Its just as good. If not better.Big 12 quarterbacks experienced a renaissance in 2015 -- from former walk-on Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma, fourth in the Heisman voting, to breakout stars Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech, Seth Russell at Baylor and Oklahoma States Mason Rudolph. Every team but TCU returns its primary starter this fall. While QB battles will rage in August at Texas, Kansas State and Kansas, elsewhere in the conference, players at the position are set to solidify the Big 12 as the best league for quarterbacks nationally.Last month at SEC media days, Chad Kelly of Ole Miss labeled himself at the best QB in the nation. While the Big 12 quarterbacks declined to refute Kellys assessment, they were clear on their feelings about the league as a whole.Offensively, this is the best conference in the country, Mayfield said. Its home to the best quarterbacks.The stats back him up.Among returning quarterbacks in the Power 5, the top three in yards per attempt reside in the Big 12. Three of the top six and five of the top 10 in passing yards play in the Big 12. Its quarterbacks fill four of the top seven returning Power 5 spots in touchdown passes, four of the top six in yards per completion and two of the top five in completion percentage.In total QBR, the metric designed to measure a quarterbacks complete performance, Russell ranked first nationally in seven games before suffering a fractured bone in his neck. Mayfield is fourth among returning QBs from the Power 5 and Notre Dame; Mahomes is sixth and Rudolph is ninth.As defensive guys, TCU coach Gary Patterson said, weve got our hands full.Patterson credits the spectacular quarterback play to their upbringings in this era after the likes of Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, Graham Harrell and Chase Daniel lit up the league.The philosophy in other conferences is not to go vertical 60 times a game, Patterson said.Such aerials are fine in the Big 12.Joel Lanning of Iowa State and West Virginias Skyler Howard would generate attention as all-conference types in another league. In the Big 12, theyre fighting for visibility.Theyre kind of a different animal, Kansas linebacker Joe Dineen said. Theyre the offensive weapon, where maybe in a different league its another position. In the Big 12, its the QB. Hes the one who runs the show.Polled at Big 12 media days last month on the quarterback with the most irreplaceable traits, league players praised Mayfield for his competitiveness, Mahomes for his athleticism and versatility, Russell for his poise and arm strength, and Rudolph for his skill and precision.The guy who stands out -- and I think hes the guy that stands out to everyone -- is Baker, Dineen said. Baker isnt very fun to play against. He makes a lot of plays. But honestly, in the Big 12, theyre all like that.The one I think people have been sleeping on is Seth Russell, Kingsbury said.Mahomes, in fact, earned the most praise from Big 12 players and coaches. The 6-foot-3 junior threw for 4,653 yards and 36 touchdowns last year while rushing for 456 yards and 10 scores.His ability to be able to keep the play alive and throw that thing 70 yards downfield, Ive never seen anything like it, said Holgorsen, the sixth-year West Virginia coach, If Kliff can get him to make a routine play, he could be one of the best in the country.Iowa State receiver Allen Lazard described Mahomes as the epitome of a quarterback who makes a play when nothing appears available.If theres a dead play, Lazard said, hes not dead.Pride among Big 12 quarterbacks is tangible, Mahomes said. He attended the Manning Passing Academy in June with Mayfield, Russell and Rudolph.You could see it when we were around those other quarterbacks, Mahomes said. We were all like, We have the best quarterbacks. I dont know why you are all talking like you do.Mahomes connection runs deep with Mayfield, who began his career at Texas Tech. Mayfield hosted Mahomes on his recruiting visit, and the Oklahoma quarterback visits Lubbock to spend time with Tech receiver Zach Austin, a friend from Lake Travis High School in Austin.Mayfield vacationed in Destin, Florida, over spring break in 2015 with Rudolph.Russell underwent surgery last fall at WVU Medicine Spine Center. While in Morgantown, he heard from Howard, a senior out of Fort Worth, Texas, who threw for 3,145 yards in his first season as the full-time starter.I was there for him if he needed me, Howard said. We communicated. I knew what he was dealing with was difficult, so I just wanted to show my support.Occasionally, the Big 12 quarterbacks share a Snapchat session, according to Rudolph.Were going through the same thing at different schools, he said, so theres a lot of common ground -- things to talk about. We keep up.But Im not really concerned with their production. Im trained to be effective against the defense, so nothing they do will bother me.As camps open this week and the focus shifts from camaraderie to competition, the Big 12 quarterbacks continue to agree simply that, as a group, theyre unmatched. At least, in todays game, theyre unmatched.The Big 12 class of 2008 might have a say. Regardless, Kingsbury said, hes anxious to study this collection for another season.You go on and on and on, he said. Its loaded with talent. Wholesale Nike Shoes .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Cheap Shoes Free Shipping .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. https://www.wholesaleshoesusa.com/ . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Fake Shoes 2020 .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Discount Shoes For Sale . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. We are just three weeks into the NBA season, and already there is ?so much going on, from injuries and role changes to surprises and disappointments.Its a rough time to have Bradley Beal, Wesley Matthews or Nikola Jokic on your fantasy team, but as youll see below, there are also a number of other players who are demanding your attention.Heres a list of the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 NBA teams heading into the fourth week of the season:Atlanta Hawks: Chris Paul enters the fourth week of the season leading the league in steals. Big surprise? Not exactly. The surprising part is that Thabo Sefolosha ranks second (2.56 SPG). Now 32, the veteran swingman also ranks third in the league in field goal percentage (57.9), which is impressive when you consider that hes attempting just fewer than two 3-pointers per game. Though neither of these numbers is likely sustainable for Sefolosha, owned in only 10.2 percent of ESPN leagues, hes a solid streaming option with the Hawks playing four games this week.Boston Celtics: Al Horford hasnt played since Oct. 29 due to a concussion he suffered in practice, but its starting to sound like his return isnt too far off. He is set to take part in the shootaround for Mondays game against New Orleans, but it remains uncertain if he will play. The Celtics miss him on both ends of the court, but especially on defense, where they rank 26th in the league.Brooklyn Nets: Jeremy Lins hamstring injury is set to be reevaluated in the middle of this week, when it will be determined whether or not the 28-year-old will be able to return to the court. The Nets have been using Sean Kilpatrick at point guard in his absence, especially with?Isaiah Whitehead having gone down with a concussion. They will certainly welcome Lin back with open arms if hes able to return for games against Oklahoma City on Friday and Portland on Sunday.Charlotte Hornets: On Friday,?Kemba Walker became the first player in franchise history to put up at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game during the teams narrow loss to Toronto. Walker is averaging a career-high 25.3 PPG, a feat made possible by noticeably improved shooting. He is shooting a career-best 47.4 percent from the field while making 3.4 threes per game. His previous single-season high is only 2.2 threes per game.Chicago Bulls: Doug McDermott remains in concussion protocol after falling to the ground following a dunk attempt and hitting the court face-first. He has already been ruled out for Tuesday and is considered doubtful for Thursdays game. McDermott is putting up very?J.J. Redick-like numbers this season in terms of his playing around 25 minutes a game and being a floor spacer who adds very little in terms of either rebounding or assists.Cleveland Cavaliers: Iman Shumpert is known more for his defense and hair than his offensive prowess, but he deserves credit for working hard on the offensive part of his game. He enters the week with a 71.6 true shooting percentage, which ranks second to only Lucas Nogueira among players averaging more than 20 minutes per game.Dallas Mavericks:?Wesley Matthews simply hasnt been the same shooter since his 2015 Achilles surgery, prior to joining the Mavericks last season. His 38.8 percent shooting in 2015-16 marked a new career low, and so far this season hes been even worse, shooting an icy 28.9 percent. While Matthews is still a solid contributor thanks to his massive playing time (37.7 MPG), hes an anchor weighing down your fantasy teams field goal percentage category at this point.Denver Nuggets: OK, its starting to reach the point where you can get concerned about Nikola Jokic. He was moved to the bench in favor of veteran Kenneth Faried following a dismal 6-point, 3-rebound effort against Golden State on Thursday, and his first two games as a reserve havent gone well (2-10 shooting, 3 PPG, 4 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG). Its going to come down to playing time for the promising 21-year-old, but his regression on the offensive end doesnt bode well in that regard, especially with rookie first-rounder Juancho Hernangomez starting to demand more minutes with his impressive play of late. Hernangomez ranks tenth in the league in true shooting percentage (67.3) among all qualified players.Detroit Pistons: Jon Leuer proved his value in a breakout season with Phoenix in 2015-16, solidifying himself as an efficient scorer at power forward, and a move to Detroit this season hasnt changed anything. In fact, his minutes are all the way up to 26.6 per game, well above his previous high of 18.7 MPG set last season. I like Jon and the way Jons playing, Stan Van Gundy said. Hes never played more than 18 minutes per game, and obviously I dont think hes ever played anywhere near 18 in any game this year. Hes always in the 20s, averaging 26 minutes per game. I think hes figured out here, like: Im going to be out there, so I dont need to worry if I miss a couple shots. Im going to be out there. I think its a little bit easier for him to relax and play.Golden State Warriors: As great of a shooter as Kevin Durant is, he has never finished a season above 51 percent from the field. You can blame that on the high number of 3-point attempts hes taken over the course of his career (4.7 per game). In his first 10 games as a Warrior, though, his threes are down from 6.7 attempts per game one season ago to 4.7, and his field goal percentage stands at 56.2 percent.Houston Rockets: James Harden continues to lead the league in assists (13 APG) by a wide margin over Russell Westbrook (10.1 APG), and he has at least 12 in all but two games thus far. Back-to-back triple-doubles against San Antonio tell you all you need to know about how great he has been in fantasy this season, and on Saturday he became the first player in NBA history to record at least 24 points and 12 assists in six consecutive games.Indiana Pacers: Ive always enjoyed C.J. Miles for his ability to bust out with a big game on any given night, and in recent years hes improved his chances at those types of games by becoming a bigger threat from 3-point land. The 29-year-old veteran has never shot better than 39.3 percent from long range over the course of a season, but he enters the week ranked fourth in the league from distance (49 percent).LA Clippers: DeAndre Jordan is one of the games most durable players, and this season the dominance by the Clippers has enabled him to spend a little less time on the court and more time resting on the bench. That might be good for Jordan, but its bad for his numbers. His minutes (33.7 to 30.4), scoring (12.7 to 10.8), rebounding (13.8 to 12.2) and blocks (2.3 to 1.9) are all down from last year.Los Angeles Lakers: After starting all 79 games last season, Jordan Clarkson has been sent to the bench in favor of veteran shooting guard Nick Young, whom new head coach Luke Walton prefers for his ability to stretch the floor. As a result, Clarkson has seen dips in his minutes (32.3 to 26.2), scoring (15.5 to 15), rebounds (4.0 to 2.5) and assists (2.4 to 1.9). As long as Walton sticks with the current rotation -- and theres no indication its going to change anytime soon -- Clarksons fantasy value isnt going to be what it was last season.Memphis Grizzlies: Chandler Parsons has been limited to 21-23 minutes in his three games since returning to the court from an offseason knee surgery, and the results havent been kind to the highly paid swingman. He is averaging just seven points, 3.3 rebounds and one steal perr game.dddddddddddd He has had little impact as a floor spacer (0.7 3PG) or on the defensive end (0.7 SPG). Owning Parsons in fantasy this season is going to require a lot of patience, because even when his minutes restriction diminishes, its going to take some time for him to look like the Parsons of old.Miami Heat: Josh Richardson has averaged 24.5 MPG since returning from an offseason MCL injury and started at point guard in place of the injured Goran Dragic in Saturdays loss to Utah. Richardson shot 46.1 percent from 3-point range as a rookie last season and is worth a look as a 3-point specialist, especially if he plays between 25-30 minutes a night on a consistent basis as he has over the past three games.Milwaukee Bucks: The duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker give Bucks fans a lot to be excited about, but one of the big early-season disappointments in Milwaukee has been the lack of impact offseason acquisition Mirza Teletovic has made. Teletovic established a new career high by making 2.3 threes per game in Phoenix last season, but his minutes have fallen to 16.3 per game in his first nine games with the Bucks.Minnesota Timberwolves: Andrew Wiggins hasnt cooled off from long range. In fact, his 54.8 percent shooting from 3-point land leads the league. We will have to wait and see whether or not this improvement sticks, however, as Wiggins shot just 30 percent from distance last season and 31 percent as a rookie.?New Orleans Pelicans: Rumors continue to swirl that Jrue Holiday may return to the court this week after missing training camp and the early part of the season in order to support his wife in her recovery from surgery to remove a brain tumor. Holiday has been ruled out for Mondays game against Boston, and his status is worth watching closely over the three remaining games the Pelicans play this week.New York Knicks: The Knicks gave Joakim Noah a four-year, $72 million deal over the summer with high hopes that he could improve the team on both sides of the ball. Its still early, but Noahs lack of rim protection is already evident. The 31-year-old is averaging a career-low 0.8 blocks per game, with just seven rejections in his first nine games this season. Yikes!Oklahoma City Thunder: Domantas Sabonis is already living up to his last name, showing rare shooting and passing ability for a big man similar to the way his father, Arvydas, did on his way to becoming an international sensation in the 1980s and 90s. While the younger Sabonis made just 5-of-14 3-point attempts in his two seasons at Gonzaga, he has the green light to fire it up from long range under Thunder coach Billy Donovan. The 6-foot-11 rookie is averaging two threes and 2.6 assists in his last five games.Orlando Magic: Most experts who voiced concern about?Nikola Vucevics projected numbers prior to the season pointed out what new additions Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo might do to his rebounding stats. As you know, Vucevic has been among the top players in the league in terms of cleaning the glass, so adding these two proven big men gave fantasy owners reason to worry. Through 10 games, though, Vucevics rebounding has been just fine (10.3 RPG). Its the 11.8 PPG, 45.7 percent shooting, 11.6 FGA and 27.2 MPG that are much more concerning. These are all things to keep an eye on, but its safe to say Vucevics role appears to be significantly diminished under new head coach Frank Vogel.Philadelphia 76ers: While Joel Embiid is commanding most of the attention in Philadelphia right now, fellow rookie Dario Saric is also doing some pretty impressive things. Saric is tied with Serge Ibaka for ninth in the league in 3-point percentage (47.8 percent), putting him slightly ahead of some guy named Stephen Curry (47.5), who is next on the list.Phoenix Suns: ESPN.coms Zach Lowe points out that Devin Booker is shooting just 27.5 percent from 3-point range so far in his second NBA season, which seems far below what we expect out of the 20-year-old. However, ESPN colleague Kevin Pelton is quick to add, Nobody noticed he shot 28.7 percent after the All-Star break last year. As talented as the Kentucky product is, and as much upside as he has in this league as a Klay Thompson-like player, the hype surrounding his early success from 3-point land is a little out of line with reality at this point.Portland Trail Blazers: Evan Turner played as aggressive as he has all season in the win over Denver on Sunday, but his poor shooting continues to be a big problem as he adjusts to a new team. The No. 2 overall pick in 2010 is shooting just 36.7 percent from the field, which is made more disappointing by the fact that hes coming off a career-best 45.6 percent with Boston last season.Sacramento Kings: Interestingly and somewhat surprisingly, Ty Lawson remained the Kings starting point guard in the three games since Darren Collison?has returned from suspension. That being said, Collison has logged more minutes in those games (29.3 vs. 20.3 MPG), and Lawson has been rendered useless as far as fantasy is concerned (3.7 PPG, 1.3 RPG and 2.3 APG) with Collison in the rotation.San Antonio Spurs:?Im not sure anyone expected Pau Gasol to be playing less than 25 minutes a night with the Spurs, but thats certainly been the case (24.3 MPG) through his first 10 games. If theres anything encouraging regarding Gasols fantasy value, its that after playing more than 27 minutes only once in his first eight games, he has averaged 34 MPG in the teams last two games, both of which resulted in wins.Toronto Raptors: Lucas Nogueira, the No. 16 pick in 2013, showed very little in his first two NBA seasons but came through with the biggest week of his NBA career. Playing just under 26 minutes over the last four games, Bebe averaged 8.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.5 blocks, and the most impressive part was his efficiency from the field. The 24-year-old 7-footer made 15-of-17 shots during that span. He and rookie lottery pick Jakob Poeltl will battle for minutes behind Jonas Valanciunas for the rest of the season.Utah Jazz: In his first five games since returning from a finger injury, Gordon Hayward is averaging career highs in scoring (24.4 PPG), rebounding (7.6 RPG) and free throw shooting (97 percent), and while some of those numbers may regress to the mean a bit in the months ahead, theres a lot to be excited about based on Haywards hot start. Nobody knows the Jazz better than their radio man, David Locke, who had a lot to say about Hayward after the teams recent 4-1 road trip. Hayward is playing at a completely different level, Locke wrote.?He is so strong. He is getting where he needs to go on the floor. He is so strong that he is abusing any defender that he gets an edge on. He is putting in shots that are seemingly impossible. He has been the best player on the floor every game he has played this year.Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal continued to be overhyped and overrated in fantasy this preseason, and already those who drafted him are having buyers remorse. Beal has missed the last two games due to a hamstring injury and played only 11 minutes before leaving early in the win over Boston last Wednesday. This is a bad sign for a player with a lengthy history of leg injuries. Making matters worse, Beal was shooting a career-low 36.6 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from 3-point range before going down. ' ' '