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ts next, but odds are the self-proclaimed Gypsy King will be back in the ring ev
ts next, but odds are the self-proclaimed Gypsy King will be back in the ring ev
in Fragen 25.05.2018 16:25von dasg234 • 2.926 Beiträge
ANDERSON, Ind. -- Robert Mathis makes every word count. Every play, too.When teammates hear the Indianapolis Colts oldest starter bark out instructions or crack pads, they tune in. When they see Mathis hang out in Anderson Universitys dorms or hear him explain how privileged he feels to return each summer, they listen attentively. When they see Mathis take an occasional day off at training camp or run around with his kids after a practice, they realize he is no ordinary 35-year-old linebacker.He is as determined and passionate as he was the day he arrived at his first training camp in 2003.You have to work for everything you get, Mathis said. Anything worth having is worth being worked for.Mathis short, powerful messages have always resonated in the Colts locker room.Indy opened the 2012 season with a new coach, a new general manager, a rookie quarterback, and was ranked last in the NFLs projected power ratings. Mathis responded to the doubters on Twitter: I will not let you forget.Later that season, when things looked bleak and coach Chuck Pagano left the team to battle leukemia, Mathis rallied his teammates with another line: There are no pity parties in football.To Mathis, words and actions mean something.The 6-foot-2, 235-pound defensive end/outside linebacker from Alabama A&M is still motivated by the notion so many scouts wrote him off as too small, too slow and too untested against elite competition when he was coming out of college.Indy saw Mathis a different way. Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy was convinced Mathis could be the perfect complement to Dwight Freeney, so GM Bill Polian traded a future fourth-round pick to Houston for the third pick in Round 5 to snag Mathis.Fourteen years, one position change and 118 sacks later, the Atlanta native remains one of the most feared pass rushers in football when hes healthy.A year ago, he wasnt. It took the NFLs 2013 sacks champ almost half a season to regain his form after missing all of 2014 because of a suspension (performance enhancer) and a torn left Achilles tendon that required 10 surgeries and 12 months to fix. He wound up finishing 2015 with 24 tackles, seven sacks and a lot of momentum heading into this season.Robert is one of our best football players. Were going to have him on the football field as often as he can handle, new defensive coordinator Ted Monachino said. We arent keeping Robert back and we arent reining him in in any way.Mathis has never played the game that way, and hes certainly not going to start now.Yet the spry, six-time Pro Bowler also understands business. His contract expires after this season, and throughout his career in Indy, Mathis has watched longtime friends such as Freeney, Marvin Harrison, Peyton Manning, Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne all let go once the Colts deemed it financially or philosophically unfeasible to keep the aging stars.Mathis knows he could be next, though hes not giving any illusion of a decline.Rob is one of the hardest workers Ive been around, Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis said. He is going on his 14th year and it shows you his humbleness and how much he loves and respects the game.Now the Colts need Mathis than ever.He accounted for 20 percent of their 35 sacks last season, and after Indy used three of its eight draft picks on defensive players -- safety T.J. Green, inside linebacker Antonio Morrison and outside linebacker Trevor Bates -- the Colts are asking Mathis to put even more pressure on opposing quarterbacks as the coaches look for ways to help.And theres more at stake, too. He wants to add another Super Bowl ring, could crack the top 10 on the NFLs career sacks chart, and with one or two more really good seasons could even put himself in Hall of Fame consideration.A lot of media said I couldnt do it. I take a lot of pride in (proving them wrong), Mathis said with a laugh. I just appreciate the opportunity to be out there. It was a long road.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Goedkoop Air Max 270 Flyknit Heren Dames: Zwart/Oranje . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Air Max 270 Hot Punch AH8050-010 Heren: Zwart-Hot Punch . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. http://www.nike270kopen.com/ . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. Goedkoop Online Dames Air Max 270 Flyknit AH6803-001 Zwart/Zwart-Wit Kopen . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. Bestellen Goedkoop Dames Air Max 270 Flyknit Racer Blauw . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Look what Tyson Furys mental health break hath wrought -- a massive mismatch in Manchester, an unexceptional affair in Auckland and boxings latest tease of better things to come.Former heavyweight champion Fury likes to poke fun of the mad scramble he created when he decided, probably correctly, to take a breather while he tries to pull himself together. Thankfully, British boxings best standup comedian this side of Ricky Hatton has retained his subtle sense of humor.Its getting embarrassing the amount of bums they find!!! Fury tweeted after Saturdays transcontinental double-dip of heavyweight hype.Furys assessment aside, nobody should confuse Anthony Joshuas knockout of Eric Molina and Joseph Parkers decision over Andy Ruiz Jr. with championship-level boxing. At best they were necessary evils on the road to the nitty-gritty.When a reigning heavyweight champion abdicates, a messy state of affairs is frequently the consequence. Sometimes its like a gold rush, with damn near every heavyweight with two functioning arms jockeying for a chance to hit pay dirt. In other incidences its a fait accompli, the two contestants selected before the retiring champion officially hangs up his gloves.One of the earliest examples goes all the way back to the turn of the century, back when boxers still tied their colors around the waist and everybody wore black boxing boots. It was also the time when an unremarkable boxer by the name of Marvin Hart became a crucial link in the chain of heavyweight championship lineage.Jim Jeffries, the undefeated and long-reining champ, had run out of challengers (white challengers, anyway) and a more bucolic life on his alfalfa farm beckoned. Of course, the last thing he wanted was Jack Johnson to take his place, so Jeffries handpicked Hart to be his successor.Leaving nothing to chance, Jeffries also picked the opponent, washed-up former light heavyweight champion Jack Root. The old Boilermaker even refereed the fight to underscore his endorsement.Hart knocked out Root as expected but was in turn displaced by Canadian Tommy Burns six months later. Burns spent the next three years leading Johnson a merry chase. When the man soon to become the first black heavyweight champion finally caught up with poor little Tommy in 1908, it gave boxing renewed continuity, plus an iconic champion who became larger than the sport. It just took a while.Although not a template, thats pretty much how it goes when theres a vacancy at the top of boxing pantheon. Sometimes it is one and done. But more often than not, it takes a series of fights before things shake out and the natural order is restored.Boxing is like nature. Its almost impossible to control, a force that doesnt easily bend to mankinds will. When the WBA launched an eight-man elimination tournament in 1967, it was sure it would produce a successor to Muhammad Ali.His exile had left a gaping hole in the soul of the sport but at the same time provided opportunity for the also-rans to make some decent money for a change. As is usually the case in boxing, things didnt go exactly as planned.Joe Frazier, who was invited to be part of the WBA power grab but declined, won universal recognition as champion by knocking out tourney winner Jimmy Ellis. Again, the sports capricious disposition came down on boxings side and gave us mighty Smokin Joe. It just took a little time.And now, Deontay Wilder, Joshua and Parker all have belts, and Luis Ortiz is trying to get one. But none of them represents the true championship. The last to hold that distinction was in attendance at the Manchester Arena last Saturday, a troubled giant with a thinning hairline and an expanding waist. All the proxies have are pieces of the shell that shattered when Fury fell off the wall.Putting the pieces back together again wont be easy. It never is, but at least Molina and Ruiz who, with all due respect, should never really have been under consideration, have been eliminated. Unless I miss my guess, Parker wont be too far behind. He looked capable of doing more but played it safe and settled for less.Something good could come of all this, but the ceaseless palaver about a resurgent heavyweight division coming from HBO and Showtime, and paarroted much of the media, is disingenuously premature.ddddddddddddFrustrated fan Michael Kronenberg might have been closer to the truth when he Tweeted: Klitschkos washed up. Ortiz overblown. Wilder & Joshua fought stiffs. Fury gone.Its difficult to find fault with his hard-boiled analysis, but if theres hope for the near future it comes from Wilder and Joshua, a pair of fresh talents from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean eager to unify the title. They might not be the greatest but theyre probably the greatest we have right now, and thats all that counts for the time being.Wilders last fight was a one-sided thrashing of Chris Arreola in July, a used-up fringe contender who usually takes a beating, even when he wins, which isnt very often anymore. Since his impressive defeat of Bermane Stiverne in January 2015, Wilder has taken a step backward in term of opponent quality.True, he suffered a hand and biceps injury beating up Arreola that interrupted his schedule. But when the Bronze Bomber returns to action early next year, it needs to be against a meaningful opponent. Not some mismatch mandatory from parts unknown. It has to be somebody fans have heard of and respect, somebody capable of giving him a demanding fight.Joshua is selling out large venues in the U.K whenever he fights, regardless of whos in the other corner. Molinas chief selling point was that hed managed to rattle Wilder once on his way to being stopped in the ninth. There was also much talk about his heavy right hand, and thats all it turned out to be, talk.Molina seemed to have decided as soon as the opening bell rang that he was in too deep. And when Joshua connected with one of his devilishly straight right hands in the third, it was easy to see why. Molina flew backward into the turnbuckle padding and slid to the floor, where sat for a beat or two, looking like a man whos fallen out of bed and couldnt quite figure out where he was.It was more a demonstration of AJs concussive punching power than a fight, which was just fine with the 20,000 faithful that packed Manchester Arena. Its doubtful, however, it did much for the wildly popular Englishmans progression as fighter. Molina proved just about as tough a soggy bag of fish and chips.By far the best news of the weekend came when Wladimir Klitschko entered the ring afterward, without aid of a crutches or a walker, and confirmed an April 29 date with Joshua. Lets hope his seemingly endless series of training injuries doesnt reoccur and the fight actually takes place as scheduled.Klitschko will be 41 when he enters the ring at Wembley Stadium, edging inevitably toward the point of no return. Maybe Joshua will be the first to finish Dr. Steelhammer inside the distance since he melted against Lamon Brewster in 2004. It would certainly put him one up on Fury.Who knows? Maybe Klitschko just had an off night against Fury, and has enough left to schools Watfords 18-bout fledgling. Joshua wouldnt be the first relative novice to be flummoxed by the ultra-conservative approach that has served Wlad so well for so long.Unlike the limitations of Parker-Ruiz or the inevitability of Molinas quick exit, Joshua-Klitschko feels like the first positive step toward finding that next champion capable of lifting the sport and making heavyweight boxing fun again.If Joshua beats Klitschko in a pleasing fashion, a showdown with Wilder could become the hottest fight in the division since the new millennium. There hasnt been a lot of competition along those lines, but thats one of the things that makes the match so enticing.The wild card in all of this is Fury, a realm in which he feels right at home. He probably doesnt know whats next, but odds are the self-proclaimed Gypsy King will be back in the ring eventually. Hopefully with his demons banished and head screwed back on -- but not too tightly. After all, where would he be without at least a dash of lunacy?With boxings reigning wild man back in the heavyweight picture, anything could happen, a credo that has sustained boxing since the start. Even if it sometimes takes a little time. Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Wholesale China NFL Jerseys White ' ' '
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