seasons just seems

[jinshuiqian0713]

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Alterraun Verner crouched down on the field for several seconds, holding tightly the ball he had just intercepted, as teammates gathered around him. As he made his way to the bench, and the magnitude of the moment set in, tears began to flow.Just 48 hours prior to kickoff, Verners father, Robert, had died suddenly from a heart attack at the age of 61. Robert had flown to Tampa from California to be with his son and his young family on Thanksgiving. Alterraun was not with the team Friday, but vowed to play, saying before the game that he was dedicating the performance to his father.My dad was my biggest fan, said Verner, who finished with an interception and two pass breakups in the Bucs 14-5 win over the Seattle Seahawks. He made so many sacrifices for me to get where I am today, and I just know that he wouldnt want to be the cause for me not to play, so thats why I decided to play. I wanted to honor him knowing all that he did to try to get me to where I am today.Verner and several of his teammates huddled up before taking the field and broke with Alterraun! He also wore a shirt underneath his uniform that had a picture of him and his father on it from when he was at UCLA. His wife, Sinae, made it for him.One thing that I wont ever forget about him was his smile, and that was one of my favorite smiles of his, Verner said. Its just to show that hes always with me and hes always going to be with me every game. Every step of the way, off the field or on the field, because of the type of man he was, is what made me into the man I am today.Verner described his dad as the most caring, loving person that you [would] ever know -- one who was willing to take his shirt off and give it to a person that he never knew.Verner, 27, said all his father ever asked of him every game was just to play my hardest.?I could give up three touchdowns or I could get three interceptions, and he would still love me the same, said Verner. So its a blessing on how it happened for us to get the win and everything, but all he ever wanted was for me to play hard, and thats what I did for him.After the national anthem, before kickoff, Verner was told he had been named a captain, along with Kevin Pamphile, who lost his mother during the preseason.It was emotional before the game. It was emotional at the coin flip, said Bucs coach Dirk Koetter.Then came the interception before the half, on a pass intended for Paul Richardson, when the Seahawks were within striking distance at the Tampa Bay 29, and Verner slipped in front of Richardson.Thats a power above me when that kind of stuff happens,?Koetter said.?Said defensive end Noah Spence: I cant even describe it ... for him to make that type of play after what happened to him is just a blessing. We just came together and talked about it, prayed about it. We knew that we were going to come out here and do this for him.Gerald McCoy said it felt like the Atlanta?game last year, after?Kwon Alexander had just lost his brother.That was incredible, McCoy said. You knew [Verner] was hurting, but he played his heart out. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. With senior quarterback Seth Russell throwing passes during a high-tempo Baylor practice, and the same assistant coaches on the field, so much looks familiar as the Bears get ready for a new season.That is what acting head coach Jim Grobe has wanted since being put into a difficult situation.A key for us is for the kids to start making headlines for touchdowns and tackles, and not all the past stuff, Grobe said.The former Wake Forest coach was brought out of semi-retirement at the end of May following the sudden offseason dismissal of coach Art Briles. The Bears lost their two-time Big 12 champion coach, while the school president was demoted and athletic director resigned, in the wake of a report from an independent review that determined the school mishandled complaints of sexual assault against some players.Grobe kept the rest of the coaching staff intact, including the offensive coordinator who is Briles son, citing the importance for players to have continuity for practices and games.As far as Xs and Os, things arent broken here, Grobe said of the team that has led the nation in scoring and total offense each of the past three years.Russell was the top-rated FBS passer when he suffered a season-ending neck injury in the seventh game last year. Russell was on a mission trip in Brazil with other Baylor athletes when he found out Briles would no longer be their coach, but the quarterback had no second thoughts about returning to the Bears when he found out Grobes plan to keep things the same on the field.Coach Grobe has done a really good job of showing his leadership and showing us the right way of doing things, Russell said. Were trying to build the way people view Baylor back up.RUNNING BEARS: In their Citrus Bowl victory over North Carolina, the Bears had four differeent players take snaps and piled up 645 yards rushing.dddddddddddd Baylor returns a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in senior Shock Linwood (1,280 yards) and junior Johnny Jefferson, who got 299 of his 1,000 yards in the bowl game. Linwood is the nations third-leading active rusher with 3,462 yards, only 203 shy of Walter Abercrombies school record. Linwoods 34 rushing TDs are one shy of Alfred Andersons school record.KEY GAMES: After two Friday night non-conference games, Baylor opens Big 12 play at home Sept. 24 against Oklahoma State, which was 10-0 last season before a 10-point home loss to the Bears. On Nov. 5, the Bears host TCU for the first time since their comeback from a 21-point deficit in the final 11 minutes two years ago for an epic 61-58 victory. That game is in the middle of a difficult stretch for the Bears, sandwiched between trips to Texas and Oklahoma.PREDICTION: The Bears have won 50 games over the past five seasons, but there will be four new starting offensive linemen and no proven backup quarterback after Jarrett Stidhams departure. If Russell can stay healthy, the Bears should be near the top of the Big 12 standings, though a third conference title in four seasons just seems unlikely.SEASON OPENER: Sept. 2 vs. Northwestern State, an FCS team from Louisiana. The Bears will be the first Big 12 team to kick off the season, with their Friday night opener scheduled to start 90 minutes before Kansas State plays at Stanford. This will be Baylors fifth game against the Demons, who have lost the previous four by an average margin of 50 points. It was 70-6 two years ago.---Online: AP College football website: Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! ' ' '