LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter arrived for a marathon appeal hearing against a six-year ban from football on Thursday, pledging to accept the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for SportI do hope it will be positive for me, Blatter, sporting a light gray beard, told reporters at around 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) ahead of a closed-door hearing expected to last several hours. He left almost 15 hours later.It was a long day because the cross examination of the witnesses we have brought, the 80-year-old Blatter said as he left the court. It was specially a long day for me because I was the central person.Blatter declined to speculate on the verdict which is expected within several weeks. He could challenge it in a further appeal to Switzerlands supreme court.He denies wrongdoing in authorizing a $2 million payment to former FIFA vice president Michel Platini in 2011. They claimed it was for backdated and uncontracted salary for work Platini did in advising Blatter from 1999 to 2002.The so-called disloyal payment led Blatter to be put under investigation for criminal mismanagement by Swiss federal prosecutors last September. That investigation is ongoing.FIFAs ethics committee judged the $2 million deal was a conflict of interest and initially banned Blatter and Platini for eight years last December. FIFAs appeal committee cut both bans to six years.Platinis appeal to CAS was already judged in May, when Blatter appeared in person as a witness. Platini promised a further appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal after his ban was only cut from six to four years.Platini arrived for Blatters hearing around midday local time to be a witness and left four hours later.I say again the truth and I hope that this time they will listen to us, but I doubt it anyway, Platini said in French.The judging panel in Platinis case noted the absence of any repentance from the former France great.The three-member panel for Blatters case is expected to respect the verdict of the separate panel which judged Platini.Blatters comments Thursday suggest he would not pursue a federal case. Federal judges can intervene only if legal process is abused.We are football players, we learned to win but also we learned to lose and it will not be the end of the world, Blatter said outside CAS.A failure to overturn the ban for Blatter would likely end his hope to one day be named FIFA honorary president by its 211 member federations.The case already ended Platinis chance to replace Blatter as FIFA president, and also forced him out of European governing body UEFA.On Sept. 14, UEFA members will elect a successor to replace Platini who had a mandate through March 2019. By imposing a four-year ban, the CAS panel ensured UEFA had to replace Platini, rather than wait for him to return.The disloyal payment emerged last year when Platini was strongly favored to win the election to replace Blatter, who had announced his departure plans after 17 years as president amid pressure from American and Swiss federal investigations of corruption implicating senior FIFA officials.Both men were questioned at FIFA headquarters last September by Swiss investigators who were waiting for them outside an executive committee meeting.During the turmoil in world football, Platinis right-hand man at UEFA, Gianni Infantino, submitted an election candidacy on the entry deadline day and won the vote in February.Arriving at the hearing with his Zurich-based lawyer Lorenz Erni, Blatter said he hoped the CAS panel will understand that the payment made to Platini was really a debt that we had against him.This is a principle, if you have debts you pay them, Blatter said. 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He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. NFL Nation reporters assess the top storylines to watch for every team on Wednesday.AFC East | AFC North| AFC South | AFC West NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC WestNFC EASTDallas CowboysAfter performing decently in the first two preseason games, the Cowboys defense faces its most difficult test with the Seahawks on Thursday night. Russell Wilsons development at quarterback and the continued success of the running game without Marshawn Lynch make Seattle a good barometer for Dallas. Safety Barry Church believes the Cowboys will be able to gauge where they are with the regular-season opener approaching because of how well-rounded Seattles offense is. -- Todd ArcherNew York GiantsTuesday was a big day for wide receiver Victor Cruz. The Giants threw him right into the fire as he returned from a groin injury and handed him his biggest workload of the summer. It also turned out to be Cruzs most productive day with a team-high seven catches on 18 snaps. Now lets see how Cruz rebounds, and if his legs are willing to cooperate when the Giants get back on the field for another substantial workout on Wednesday. -- Jordan RaananPhiladelphia EaglesSo far, so good for the Eagles defense, which has generated a league-leading seven interceptions over the first two preseason games. They faced Jameis Winston for only one quarter in the opener against the Bucs and didnt see Ben Roethlisberger at all last week in their tilt at the Steelers, though. Some players are hoping for a healthy dose of Andrew Luck this Saturday in the dress rehearsal at the Colts. We dont know how long Luck will be in there but hopefully hes in there while were in there, defensive end Connor Barwin said. You obviously want to go against the best, and he is one of the best in the league and that will give us a good idea of where were at. -- Tim McManusWashington RedskinsTuesday represented a good day for rookie receiver Josh Doctson, who ran routes for the first time since May 25, when he started having issues with his left Achilles. Doctson ran only half-speed, but it provided him a chance to plant and cut -- and it gives the Redskins hope that hell return sooner than later. Coach Jay Gruden said he didnt think Doctson would need to open the season on the physically unable to perform list. Instead, Gruden said Doctson might return for the fourth preseason game, but the confidence level remains high that hell be back for the season opener. The progress we see is a very, very good sign for us, Gruden said. -- John KeimNFC NORTHChicago BearsCoach John Foxs policy is to reveal next to nothing when it pertains to injuries, but the Bears will keep close tabs on guard?Kyle Longs shoulder problem in the coming days. Long, who hurt the shoulder in last weeks preseason game in New England, has sat out three consecutive practices. Fox was non-committal when pressed on Longs status for Week 1 of the regular season. In more encouraging news, tight end Zach Miller and receiver Eddie Royal both seem close to returning from concussions. Miller and Royal practiced on Tuesday, but each wore the red no contact jersey as they attempt to pass the NFLs concussion protocol. -- Jeff DickersonDetroit LionsThe Lions appear to be headed back toward full strength -- at least in terms of their skill position players. Running back?Ameer Abdullah continues to be in his normal jersey, while tight end?Eric Ebron and wide receiver?Golden Tate both returned to practice Tuesday. Its unclear if any of the three will play against Baltimore on Saturday, but it should be an encouraging sign for the Lions that theyll have all three when games start to matter on Sept. 11 against Indianapolis. Abdullah, who has yet to play in a preseason game this season, said Tuesday he wants to play in a game setting, to get back used to playing in a game, since I havent played in a preseason game yet, thatd be cool. -- Michael RothsteinGreen Bay PackersThe most important thing that happens in Green Bay on Wednesday wont occur on the football field. Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers are expected to meet with the NFL as part of the leagues investigation into the performance-enhancing drug allegations in the December Al-Jazeera report. Said Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers: Itll be nice for those guys to get it behind them and move forward without this hanging over their heads. -- Rob DemovskyMinnesota VikingsTeddy Bridgewater did some light throwing on Tuesday, and it bears watching how the Vikings handle the quarterback as he recovers from a sore shoulder. Coach Mike Zimmer said he didnt think Bridgewater necessarily needed to play in the Vikings third preseason game, but considering Bridgewater wanted to play Thursday night in Seattle, the former first-round pick could be hoping to get some work in the teams first game at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday. -- Ben GoesslingNFC SOUTHAtlanta FalconsFalcons coach Dan Quinn emphasized the focus for the third preseason game against the Dolphins on Thursday night is improvement in the red zone on both sides of the ball. So far in the preseason, offensively weve had six red zone trips and scored on half of them, so I want that number to be up, Quinn said. And defensively, weve let them down there three times, and theyve scored twice. Thats an area of emphasis for us heading into the game: Can we play better red zone ball? -- Vaughn McClureCarolina PanthersWhile much of the focus has been on the back spasms of Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen, not much has been said about backup Ed Dickson missing the past week of practice with a groin injury. Dickson has been a valuable part of Carolinas two-tight-end set. With Olsen back in full pads on Tuesday after sitting out a week, Dickson continued to work on the side. He?likely will miss?Fridays preseason game against New England. The positive of this is Scott Simonson, Braxton Deaver and Beau Sandland have gotten a lot of much-needed work. -- David NewtonNew Orleans SaintsTwo guys who have been coming on strong in the last week or two are safety Jairus Byrd and running back C.J. Spiller?-- two veterans who havent found success yet in New Orleans because of injuries. Its hard to expect either to return to peak form at this stage of their careers. But anything close would be a huge bonus for New Orleans. -- Mike TriplettTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Bucs had their first of two joint practices with the Browns, and once again coach Dirk Koetter said the offense had no juice. There were definitely some kinks to iron out lining up against a 3-4 defense. Meanwhile, the kicking woes continue for Roberto Aguayo, who missed three of six field goal attempts in Tuesdays?practice. Hes struggling a little bit right now, Koetter admitted. Aguayo has?missed two field goals and an extra point so far this preseason. -- Jenna LaineNFC WESTArizona CardinalsThe Cardinals are using this week to simulate a game week, as their third preseason game is Sunday. After two subpar performances by the offense, this weekends game will be critical to see if the offense can progress while playing more than a quarter. Coach Bruce Arians pointed out this week that Arizona has won games in the second half before, trying to prove that the Cardinals two first-quarter performances werent enough to be an indication of things to come. But general manager Steve Keim said the Cardinals need to step it up sooner rather than later. We cant just go out there when the season starts and turn the switch on. We have to continue improve in practice every day, continue to use our urgency and play at a high tempo. -- Josh WeinfussLos Angeles RamsIts the Rams last full week of training camp in Irvine, California, and it is a big week for players on the bubble. By Tuesday at 1 p.m. PT, rosters will be cut from 90 to 75, so those on-the-bubble players really have to show something this week. Rams coach Jeff Fisher, when asked if he had a message for that group, said: Theres really no need for a message. If they dont realize that theres a cut-down after the third preseason game, theyre probably not smart enough to play and help us play. ... Some of them maybe get an opportunity with other clubs. And then some of them will come to the realization that their childhood goal is over, and I need to go on with my life. -- Alden GonzalezSan Francisco 49ersWhile the primary focus on the 49ers has centered on who will start at quarterback, the team hasnt shied away from having open competition to identify its five best offensive linemen. On Tuesday, the Niners opened practice with Anthony Davis at right guard with the starters in place of Andrew Tiller. Two plays in, rookie Joshua Garnett checked in to get some work at left guard. It remains to be seen if either will get a shot with the starters on Friday night against Green Bay, but its another reminder that this group could look very different come the start of the regular season than it did at the start of camp.dddddddddddd-- Nick WagonerSeattle SeahawksOne player who could see his first preseason action Thursday night is running back C.J. Prosise. The third-round pick has been slowed by a hamstring injury, but he has been practicing and has a chance to suit up against the Cowboys. If he continues to progress the way he is, then well have a chance to see him in the game, yes, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. The Seahawks would love for Prosise to emerge as their third-down back going into the regular season. -- Sheil KapadiaAFC EASTBuffalo BillsThe Bills trend of one-step forward, two-step backward continues. The team is expected to give wide receiver Sammy Watkins (foot) and linebacker Manny Lawson (pectoral) their first action of the preseason Friday at Washington, but Buffalo lost three players to injury at Tuesdays practice: starting right tackle Jordan Mills (knee), top slot cornerback Nickell Robey (quad contusion) and No. 3 wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (concussion protocol). With running back Mike Gillislee also out this week with a concussion, the Bills are struggling with injuries and would be thrilled to get through Fridays game without another injury. -- Mike RodakMiami DolphinsThe Dolphins have an interesting decision to make with four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake, who is returning from an Achilles injury. Thursdays third preseason game may be the last chance for Miami to debut Wake in the preseason because many veteran starters sit in the fourth preseason game. Coach Adam Gase said Wake will go through pregame warmups and be a game-time decision against the Falcons. -- James WalkerNew England PatriotsThe Patriots are high on third-round draft choice Joe Thuney of NC State, who has been the starting left guard from the first day of spring practice. Said coach Bill Belichick, I think hes certainly moving toward being able to lock something down [in terms of a starting job]. I dont think were there yet, but I think he is certainly gaining on it. He has had a good preseason; had a good spring. -- Mike ReissNew York JetsIf the Jets arent satisfied with their current personnel at outside linebacker, they have the option of re-signing Calvin Pace, a longtime starter for them. Pace, 35, has been working out with the hope of resuming his career. He wont help the team speed -- a priority in the offseason -- but hes smart and can play 20-30 snaps a game. They probably wouldnt consider Pace unless rookie Jordan Jenkins (calf) is out for an extended period. -- Rich CiminiAFC NORTHBaltimore RavensWide receiver Breshad Perriman said he expects to be ready for the regular-season?opener against the Bills. He participated in his first practice Tuesday after being activated off the physically unable to perform list. Perriman indicated that hes just as fast as he was before partially tearing his ACL in June. He has yet to play in a preseason or regular-season game since the Ravens used the No. 26 overall pick on him 16 months ago. I know that it will be worth the wait, in my eyes, Perriman said. -- Jamison HensleyCincinnati BengalsAs the Bengals return to practice Wednesday, tight end Tyler Eifert, who has been rehabbing all offseason, will see how his injured ankle responded to jogging, which he did for the first time on Monday. Eifert said his goal is working through the daily stiffness and soreness that has accompanied the injury. Its just working through that soreness and trying to push it without having a setback, he said. You just have to trust the process and do what you can to get ready. -- Katherine TerrellCleveland BrownsTrade chatter about wide receiver?Josh Gordon is persistent. Several teams have called the Browns about acquiring him, but the Browns have not said yes. Gordon? He wants to play for the Browns. This is where I want to be and Im happy to be with Cleveland, he said. -- Pat McManamonPittsburgh SteelersCornerback continues to be an evolving position for the Steelers. Veteran Keenan Lewis, cut by New Orleans last week, was scheduled to visit the Steelers, his former team, on Tuesday night. The Steelers could use an established third cornerback to complement William Gay and Ross Cockrell, but Lewis has been rehabbing for nearly a year from hip and knee surgeries. Pittsburghs medical evaluation of Lewis will be crucial. Meanwhile, cornerback Senquez Golson (Lisfranc) said he expects to be fully healthy by November. Thats good news for the Steelers, who drafted Golson in the second round of the 2015 draft and gave Golson some first-team nickel corner snaps before the injury. -- Jeremy FowlerAFC SOUTHHouston TexansThe Texans have one of the best front sevens in football, but their secondary is strong too. One of the players who has stood out in practice and the first two preseason games is cornerback Kevin Johnson. ?An injury kept the 2015 first-round pick?out of the teams offseason program, but he has returned to the field stronger than last season. Keep an eye on him this week against the Cardinals. -- Sarah BarshopIndianapolis ColtsNew Colts cornerback Antonio Cromartie isnt sure hell play in Saturdays preseason game against the Eagles. He completed his first practice with the Colts on Tuesday. Cromartie said he plans to be ready for the regular-season opener against the Lions on Sept. 11. Thats about 19 or 20 days away, he said. I will be ready for that, theres no question about that. -- Mike WellsJacksonville JaguarsWith nose tackle?Roy Miller (quad) likely sidelined for the remainder of the preseason and backup Abry Jones (quad) banged up, the Jaguars will give defensive end?Tyson Alualu some reps inside during practice and against Cincinnati on Sunday night. Alualus versatility and ability to play inside and outside -- and be consistent at both spots -- is one of the things that makes him such a valuable player along the defensive front. -- Mike DiRoccoTennessee TitansThe unexpected retirement of tight end Craig Stevens leaves the Titans in a bind. He was by far the teams best blocking tight end, a starter in a two-tight-end base set for a run-heavy offense. Now the Titans will sort through lesser options, or be left to ask Delanie Walker and Anthony Fasano to do more dirty work. -- Paul KuharskyAFC WESTDenver BroncosJust one day after coach Gary Kubiak said Trevor Siemian would start at quarterback in Saturdays preseason game against the Rams, Siemian did not throw in practice Tuesday because of a right shoulder injury. Siemian, however, was in uniform and took part in run-game drills. He also showed some range of motion in the shoulder as well, raising his arms several times to signal audibles in drills. He still looks on track to play against the Rams so that means, more importantly for him, hes still on track to start the regular-season opener Sept. 8 against the Panthers. With quality work against the Rams, Siemian should hold serve and keep the job. -- Jeff LegwoldKansas City ChiefsThe sense in the organization is that the return of safety Eric Berry, the unsigned franchise player, isnt far off. The Chiefs remain hopefully Berry can play when the regular season begins on Sept. 11. I think its important to see what kind of shape he is in and then gradually bring him back into the football speed of things, coach Andy Reid said. I dont think its the end of the world if he doesnt play in the last preseason game. The most important thing is to put eyes on him and see what kind of shape he is in so we dont put him at risk out there. -- Adam TeicherOakland RaidersThe late Al Davis loved speed. So imagine what the current incarnation of the Raiders would do with Usain Bolt if the worlds fastest human decided to try his hand at football. Usain, said Oakland quarterback?Derek Carr, if you want to run a go-route, were all good with that. -- Paul GutierrezSan Diego ChargersWith guard D.J. Fluker suffering from a sprained right foot and unavailable for Sundays contest against the Vikings, undrafted rookie Spencer Pulley could get the start at right guard. The Vanderbilt product began offseason work playing center, but he has worked at all three interior offensive line positions for during training camp. I really focus on knowing the playbook and understanding the offense, so that when youre out there I just play fast, Pulley said. -- Eric D. Williams Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Stitched Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Store Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys White NFL Jerseys Cheap Camo China NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Jerseys NFL China ' ' '