Dein erstes Forum » ZORN: Mike Martz and Jim Zorn will coach

On Tuesday, beneath a purple south-coast sky, England completed the demolition of Sri Lankas cricketers. While England were brilliant with bat, ball and in the field, Sri Lanka were poor: a judgement that can apply to many of the days of battle between these two countries during the past two months. There is a sadness in saying that. Sri Lankans have hidden behind transition, a word that serves to highlight the impossible task of replacing great cricketers who have moved on to other fields and commentary boxes. It has been a wonderful ride, top and tailed by the twin departures of first Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva, then of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, and exaggerated by Muttiah Muralitharans stellar career. But the ride is over and the mighty bump at its end is hurting like hell.Touring England in the early months of summer is a devilish business. Many are the strokemakers from the subcontinent to have perished at the hands of refreshed and voracious English swingers and seamers of the ball. Sending Angelo Mathews team to Leeds and Durham first up bordered on cruelty. Not that his team was as embryonic as perceived. Most were on the successful trip two years ago, but Mahela, Kumar and Tillakaratne Dilshan were with them to lean upon. Now that the pillars of the pre-transition days have gone, the immediate future of Sri Lankan cricket is a worry. A tighter and stronger first-class playing structure is urgently needed, along with calmer and more consistent governance. Like Barbados, Sri Lanka is a small island with a big heart and, seemingly, an unconditional affection for cricket. It would be wise not to push that unconditional affection too far.The score in the three series of matches was 20-4. Reasonably, you do not know what the heck that means. Suffice to say that in an attempt to heighten interest, the ECB introduced a points system for all the matches in the three formats - four for a Test match win and two for a white-ball win. So England smashed it, but then we do know that. Oddly, there was no prize. Come to think of it, neither was there an announcement of the triumph or even any form of acknowledgment. Caesar stopped Rome for his victories. It will be interesting to see if the idea is pursued or pushed quietly aside.Cricket needs context but then most of us know that too. Wade eight pages into the bowels of the Times sports section - a paper that genuinely cares for cricket - and you will find a seven-paragraph report on Tuesday nights match but no picture. Deemed more important than Englands T20 cricket fortunes are European Championship football - a tournament from which England were unceremoniously dumped by Iceland but in which Wales caused a stir; Wimbledon, which still has Andy Murray involved, and of course, the Williams sisters on a charge; lots of Jose Mourinho and Manchester United; and a little of Mark Cavendish in the Tour de France. On the front pages in these turbulent times, and destined to stay for a while yet, are Brexit and Boris, Theresa and Jeremy and all who sail in and around their political aspirations. Alastair Cook made the front page on May 31st for a personal aspiration of his own, his 10,000th Test match run, but that was crickets sole jump from one end of the paper to the other since Carlos Brathwaite shattered the English dreamers in the last over of the World T20 final back at the beginning of April.The point is that in the midst of summer, cricket is marginalised. Even diehards struggle to remember where the Sri Lankan games were played and what happened. Cricket must be very careful. Its hat is thrown in the T20 ring but only one T20 match was played between the sides. Five 50-over matches - the format of the game, apparently, that is on the bones of its bum - and one T20. Why? Three, three and three must be the way forward, with just enough of a gap between each to allow the marketeers their moment. And there must be a reason for it all, a tally towards something bigger and brighter that gathers momentum, reaches a crescendo and crowns a champion. I am playing an old record but we cannot expect the game to chug along in its present vacuum: the danger signs are clear and present. What have we learnt about England? Enough to encourage but little about which to become complacent. There are good young players, impressive determination, and an exciting athleticism in the county cricketers of the day. Very few appear fazed by their exposure to the big time - witness Liam Dawson and Tymal Mills on Tuesday - and most, if not all, are strongly driven by the possibility of England colours. The limitations of the county game, it seems, have kept expectation in check.There appears to be favour for the multi-dimensional cricketer, and for a kinder face. The fear so evident in the eyes of Englands footballers on the dreadful night they were humiliated by Iceland is nowhere to be seen on the faces of the cricketers. Rather there are signs of the clear thinking that empowered the rugby players to win so well in Australia, and of the modesty that has long prevailed in that fine sport.This is a good period for the English game, indicated by fine leadership, strong management and uncomplicated coaching. Subtly, there has been a destructuring of general affairs that has allowed the players freedom of thought and expression. It is less than three years since an unnamed England player said: It can feel as if there is no escape, as if everything you do is being assessed and analysed and stored away. If you are not careful, it can wear you down. It is incredibly difficult to come to terms with. Much, if not all, of that pressured team environment has been stripped way. The emphasis of the moment is on enjoyment and stability, the consequence of which is a dressing room of smiles.Having said that, Pakistan have the ability to wipe away smiles. At Lords next Thursday, a true test of Englands progress will begin in a Test series that is hard to call. There are four Test matches, the seemingly obligatory five one-day games, and a T20 - all against feisty opponents who boast a fine and varied bowling attack to make good the unpredictable nature of batsmen whose minds and feet move in the shadows of the wind. If Englands cricketers are still unbeaten after September 7th, the curtain call will reflect a magnificent performance rather than simply a job well done. Clearance NCAA Jerseys . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys China .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. https://www.chinajerseysncaa.us/ . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Fake NCAA Jerseys .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Of the eight players already on Minnesotas injured reserve list, including four of its original starters on offense, running back Adrian Peterson has as realistic a chance as any to be designated for return later this season. If anyone can recover in time from a torn meniscus in his right knee, Peterson is probably the one.I look at it as hes going to do everything he can to get back, general manager Rick Spielman said. I look at it also as thats at least eight, nine weeks of not taking hits on that body, which is going to make him pretty fresh.The four-time All-Pro, who led the NFL in rushing last year, is facing an uncertain future with the Vikings, though. His contract in its current form calls for an $18 million charge against the salary cap for 2017, and the Vikings must decide whether to keep him prior to the start of free agency. With Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata sharing the position and Sam Bradford operating predominantly out of the shotgun formation, the Vikings have been more creative and versatile on offense, and shown what their post-Peterson scheme can look like .At the end of the season, well assess everything, where were at, Spielman said. I have looked a lot at what our 2017 roster is going to look like and some of the significant contracts we may have coming up and some of the guys we may not be able to afford to keep. So youre always planning to look ahead from that front.---WITHOUT BIG BEN: The Pittsburgh Steelers occasionally arent comfortable in the role of favorites, particularly on the road. The latest chapter came in an ugly 30-15 loss to Miami last week that dropped the Steelers to 5-11 in their last 16 games away from Heinz Field against teams with losing records.Were not really helping with that statistic, joked linebacker Arthur Moats.The reverse, however, is also true.The Steelers (4-2) dont exactly crater when they face long odds, even without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is out for Sundays game against New England after undergoing surgery on his left knee. Pittsburgh is 11-9 in games Roethlisberger hasnt started in his career and the Steelers have been competitive in every loss, all of which have come by 10 points or less.The Patriots represent perhaps Pittsburghs toughest test with Roethlisbergers No. 7 missing, though the Steelers dont have to think back far to gather proof they can hang in when theyre up against it. They led eventual Super Bowl champion Denver in the fourth quarter on the road in the playoffs last season even though they were playing without injured running backs LeVeon Bell and DeAngelo Williams and All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown.The oddsmakers, however, remain unconvinced. The line jumped to a touchdown when news of Roethlisbergers injury caame out.ddddddddddddWe dont need everybody on our side, Bell said. Obviously my teammates, were the people that need to believe in us. Its not about what the naysayers say. Its not about what social media says.---HIGH SCHOOL HELP: The NFL will be providing funding to public high schools with football programs that have limited or no access to an athletic trainer.Through the NFL Foundation, the program is an expansion of the athletic trainer initiatives developed and implemented over the past two years.The NFL Foundation will partner with the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), the Korey Stringer Institute (KSI), the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) and Gatorade to award up to 150 grants to high schools in four pilot states. Each grant will be in the amount of $35,000 awarded over a three-year period to fund an athletic training program.An athletic trainer is a licensed medical professional who has specific expertise in preventing, recognizing, treating and rehabilitating athletic injuries. However, nearly two-thirds of high schools across the country lack a full-time athletic trainer, and almost 30 percent of high schools do not have any athletic trainer at all, the league notes. This pilot program will test ways in which to address this issue.NFL teams have long seen the value of athletic trainers knowledge and experience when it comes to health and safety, says NFL Foundation Chairwoman Charlotte Jones Anderson, and this program will help provide that same expertise at the high school level.---MARTZ AND ZORN: Mike Martz and Jim Zorn will coach the teams in Januarys NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.It will be the third straight year that Martz has worked the college football all-star game, played at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. He will coach the National team, while Zorn makes his debut in the game as coach of the American squad.One year after coaching in the East-West Shrine Game, Zorn, former head coach of the Washington Redskins, moves to the Jan. 21 contest for draft-eligible players.Martz was the heads coach of the Rams from 2000-2005, leading them to the 2001 NFC championship. He has won the Collegiate Bowl the last two seasons.Founded in 2012, the annual game run by the National Football League Players Association draws nearly 200 scouts, player personnel staff, general managers and head coaches from the 32 NFL teams. Former NFL players are on hand to work with the prospects.---AP Pro Football Writers Barry Wilner and Dave Campbell, and Sports Writer Will Graves contributed.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '