Injury ends punter Will Mahan's season

Will Mahan stood on crutches at the 50-yard line on the south side of Husky Stadium Wednesday, looking at a University of Washington football team that's going to go on without him in 2010.
Mahan, a senior punter who averaged 40.6 yards last year out of football jersey
junior college, suffered tears to his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments late in Tuesday's practice and will be out for the season.
"He'll be having surgery in a week or two, depending on the swelling and how that goes down," said UW coach Steve Sarkisian.
Mahan was rolled into by a teammate during a late-practice drill and was initially diagnosed with a knee sprain. But further checks showed the serious damage.
"It's unfortunate," Sarkisian said. "It was a routine drill, a drill we do every day, and it was the last punt of the day for him. It was kind of a freak accident."
Mahan's backup is walk-on Kiel Rasp, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior from Nathan Hale High who was with the team last year but has never punted in a college game.
"He's got a great leg. He's been terrific all training camp," Sarkisian said. "The key is, you've just got to go into a game and catch the ball and punt it, which he hasn't had to do. Sooner or later, we all have to experience (performing under pressure). He's given us all the confidence he can do that."
Rasp, who wasn't made available to the media, backed up Mahan last year but wasn't on the squad in the spring as Sarkisian said he was "contemplating playing or not playing."
The Huskies then invited in a walk-on from Puyallup High, Sean Halligan, who was only in fall camp briefly before leaving with a medical issue. At that point, the UW recalled Rasp.
Sarkisian says Rasp's speed in launching punts is "fine," although that has sometimes troubled him in the past.
"The thing he provides at times is a bigger leg than Will," Sarkisian said. But he added that consistency is the important issue.
The Huskies should be able to gain Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
a medical redshirt for Mahan, because he has punted only in the BYU opener, in which he averaged 45.2 yards on six kicks.
"We're going to do all we can," Sarkisian said. "He deserves it."
When somebody mentioned the notion of having quarterback Jake Locker "pull a Billy Joe Hobert" — the former UW quarterback could also punt — Sarkisian said, "I don't know."
He said the Huskies have "a couple of other options," but they don't include placekickers Erik Folk or Eric Guttorp.
Washington's backup punter is actually at Oregon, in the person of freshman Alejandro Maldonado. A product of Colton, Calif., Maldonado is a kicker/punter who committed to the Huskies in 2009 but then reversed field and signed with the Ducks.
Notes
• RB Johri Fogerson has a hip flexor strain and Sarkisian termed him "really doubtful" for the Syracuse game Saturday at Husky Stadium. "It's not allowing him to run, and he's got no explosiveness at all," Sarkisian said. • Freshman RB Jesse Callier said he was "shaking" with anticipation in the BYU opener, but a 39-yard run on an early draw play eased his nervousness. "I believe your first impression is supposed to be your best impression," said Callier, who figures more prominently with Fogerson probably out, atop a fall-camp injury to touted freshman Deontae Cooper.
• Wideout-turned-cornerback Anthony Boyles saw snaps at receiver and safety Taz Stevenson got work as a running back for the second straight day. Sarkisian said he wants to create versatility for games in which the Pac-10's 70-man travel squad is in effect.
• Sarkisian, who said Monday he Minnesota Vikings jersey
wanted more physical play from the offensive line, softened somewhat on that, saying, "I just want us on the same page. Ultimately, you can be physical if you really know what you're doing and you're on the same page with the guy next to you." He said the line has responded well in practice.

49ers are counting on quarterback Alex Smith and improved supporting cast

RENTON — On the silver anniversary of the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl victory, San Francisco coach Mike Singletary, the mainstay of the 1985 championship defense, is building a playoff contender in the Bay Area similar to the Monsters of the Midway.
The 49ers like to run, stop the run and rush the quarterback, all traits the Bears used to nfl jersey
dominate the NFL 25 years ago.
They have a no-nonsense coach (Singletary as Mike Ditka), Pro Bowl middle linebacker (Patrick Willis as Singletary), hard-charging running back (Frank Gore as Walter Payton) and reliable kicker (Joe Nedney as Kevin Butler).
But what about the quarterback?
It's difficult to draw many comparisons between unassuming Alex Smith and Jim McMahon, the self-dubbed "punky QB." Similar to the Bears quarterback, Smith is cast in a supporting role that often gets overlooked on an offense ranked 27th last season.
Still he has his moments. Especially against the Seahawks, who open the regular season at 1 p.m. Sunday at Qwest Field against the 49ers.
In their previous meeting, a 20-17 Seattle victory in December at Qwest Field, Smith had the best game of his pro career. He threw for 310 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Seahawks weren't thrilled Smith torched their secondary but Seattle allowed just three points in the second half and held Gore in check.
In their first game last season, Gore ran for 207 yards and two touchdowns during a 23-10 victory. In the rematch, Gore had nine carries and 25 yards.
"The first time we played them it was power and they pounded us," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "We know we're going to get a big dose of him. He's their workhorse, and they lean on him quite a bit.
"They have the two-back run game, which Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
they really like. And they have the ability to spread you out and get it to their key people."
That's where Smith comes in.
As much as San Francisco tries to minimize his role, Smith has never been more valuable to the 49ers than he is now. The 49ers, 8-8 last season, are the favorites to unseat the Arizona Cardinals and claim the NFC West crown.
Rather than trade for Donovan McNabb or draft Jimmy Clausen, the Niners improved the talent around the 26-year-old Smith.
They drafted a pair of linemen — Rutgers offensive tackle Anthony Davis and Idaho left guard Mike Iupati — in the first round, traded with Miami for speedy receiver Ted Ginn and added free-agent running back Michael Westbrook, who arrived from Philadelphia.
Perhaps more importantly, San Francisco retained offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye. In his previous five seasons, Smith had five coordinators.
"When you look at the quarterbacks around the league, and you look at the successful ones, the one word, the common denominator that they share, is consistency," Singletary said. "For any quarterback, whoever he is, I don't care how great of an arm he has, how smart he is, or whatever, if there's not going to be consistency around him to create the timing and those things then it's going to be very difficult for him to be successful."
This season is set up for Smith to lead the Niners to the postseason after an eight-year playoff drought.
Considering his shaky start — he suffered a severe right (throwing) shoulder injury in 2007, broke a bone in his right shoulder in '08 and was benched at the start of the '09 season — it's a minor miracle the former No. 1 overall pick in 2005 has lasted this long with Indianapolis Colts jersey
San Francisco.
Smith started the final 10 games last season and won five games and Singletary's confidence.
"He's kind of resurrected himself," Seahawks safety Lawyer Milloy said. "They stacked the team around him. He doesn't have to be the guy to win the game all the time. He just has to do his part, and he's doing an excellent job of that right now."

Seahawks starter Justin Forsett knows he still has plenty to prove

RENTON — Justin Forsett heard the triumphant words, at long last, during the Monday running backs meeting. You're the starter. His unlikely dream. His unrealistic pursuit. You would've excused him if he fainted or turned a back flip.
Instead, he grinned — on the inside, of course — and whispered a Bible verse, "To whom much is given, much is required." And then he realized that, no matter how improbable, becoming a starter is merely a baseline accomplishment.
"I still have a lot to prove," Forsett said. "I want to go out and be nfl throwback jerseys
productive for the team. I want to show I can go out and be the guy they need me to be. I've got that hunger. I came a long way. A lot of people said I wouldn't make it this far. And my goal is to be a guy that can be trusted with the load and be depended on. I'm going to go out there and fight for every yard and compete all the way through the whole year."
Justin Forsett, starting NFL running back.
Too little? Too slow? No, too good.
And too committed to celebrate.
If the Seahawks introduce their offensive starters Sunday, Forsett already knows how he'll run onto the field. He'll say a prayer, lift his hands toward the heavens and race toward his teammates. It's similar to his end-zone celebration and consistent with the steady, understated, disciplined manner in which he lives every day.
Forsett, 24, is deeply religious. His father, Rodney, is a minister. Justin Forsett's Twitter page is full of Bible verses. He refers to his first two seasons in the NFL as an "unstable blessing" because he had to rise from being an unappreciated seventh-round draft pick out of California to become a fixture in this league.
Now, he's the starting running back for the team that cut him his rookie season.
"It was a journey that I wouldn't have wanted to go any other way," said Forsett, who averaged 5.4 yards last season. "It was a blessing for me to go through that. The trials that I went through, having to be patient, taught me a lot of lessons along the way. I'm still learning lessons and still trying to grow and get better each day. This is only just the beginning."
Forsett knows how to wait. You think it took forever for him to take over as the Seahawks' starter? That was a measly two-season delay. To obey his Christian beliefs, Forsett abstained from sex for 24 years.
He remained celibate until his wedding night in June. Now that's patience. That's discipline. And those qualities are why, as the Seahawks shuffle their roster and try to find the right players to build around, Forsett has thrived by staying true to himself.
"It wasn't that hard to abstain from sex," Forsett Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
said, laughing. "It's not what you typically hear of an athlete doing, but the guys on the teams that I have been on respected my decision and my reasoning. I'm glad that I stayed the course."
Forsett is married to Angie Pressey, a former Cal volleyball player who plays with the U.S. women's national team. She is the daughter of ex-NBA star Paul Pressey, who is now a Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach.
But Forsett doesn't want to be considered the perfect kid with the perfect life. He has flaws, he insists. He sins daily, he says. Ask him the worst thing he ever did, and he mentions a time from his childhood. He was about 10 years old when he took the handle of a kick scooter and swung it at another kid. He missed and wound up hitting his brother. Bro lost a couple of teeth.
"I got a whuppin', a big whuppin'," Forsett said. "Wow, that was bad."
Now, he saves his fighting for the football field. At 5 feet 8 and 198 pounds, Forsett is reminded every day that he's a little guy. In fact, during an interview session Wednesday, Deion Branch interrupted Forsett, tossed some toddler-sized Seahawks pajamas at him and told Forsett that it was his jersey. Forsett laughed and kept answering questions.
You know you're small when Branch, who stands 5 feet 9, is cracking jokes. But on the football field, Forsett plays much bigger. He's also the most elusive of a running back trio that includes Leon Washington and Julius Jones, all of whom will share playing time Sunday.
"It's just his consistency of making people miss," coach Pete Carroll said in explaining why Forsett will start Sunday. "He's really, really hard to get a good hit on."
Carroll cautioned that, even though Forsett is starting, it doesn't mean he'll get the most carries. So the little guy is still competing.
"There's no room to get comfortable," Forsett said. Dallas Cowboys jersey
"And that's the way it should be anyway."
That's the way it has always been for Forsett. But he has the inside track now. And he won't relinquish this starting job easily.

NL Capsules

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Placido Polanco(notes) hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and Philadelphia beat Florida 8-7 on Tuesday night to move into first place in the NL East.
The Phillies moved a half-game ahead of football jerseys
Atlanta, which lost 5-0 in Pittsburgh. The two-time defending NL champions hadn’t been in first place since May 30. They are seeking their fourth straight division title.
Ryan Howard(notes), Raul Ibanez(notes) and Shane Victorino(notes) hit solo homers for the Phillies, who were seven games behind the Braves on July 22.
After the Marlins rallied to tie it at 7 in the eighth, the Phillies answered with two outs in the bottom half. Victorino blooped a single to center off Jose Veras(notes) (2-2). He stole second and scored on Polanco’s liner to right.
Ryan Madson(notes) (5-2) got the last four outs to earn the win.
Mike Stanton(notes) homered for the third straight game for Florida.
Brewers 4, Cardinals 2
MILWAUKEE (AP)—Trevor Hoffman(notes) added another milestone to his illustrious career, earning his 600th save by closing out Milwaukee’s win.
Four people were ejected by plate umpire Bob Davidson, including a fan, on a night that ended with Hoffman being carried off the field by his teammates.
The 42-year-old reliever, baseball’s career saves leader, lost his job as the Brewers’ closer in May after a string of bad outings. But he’s pitched better of late and has been getting ninth-inning work as the team tried to get him to No. 600.
The right-hander entered in the ninth and gave up a bloop single to Colby Rasmus(notes). Pinch-hitter Randy Winn(notes) grounded into a double play. Hoffman got pinch-hitter Aaron Miles(notes) to ground out and raised his arms in triumph as teammates rushed to mob him near the mound.
It was Hoffman’s ninth save in 14 chances this season, and 600th in 676 career chances.
Rockies 4, Reds 3
DENVER (AP)—Carlos Gonzalez(notes) hit a three-run homer and Jhoulys Chacin(notes) pitched six strong innings in Colorado’s fifth consecutive win.
Gonzalez’s homer in the first inning was his 32nd of the season and gave him 100 RBIs. He’s in prime position to challenge for the NL Triple Crown, leading in average (.340), taking over the top spot in RBIs and vaulting into a third-place tie with Joey Votto(notes) and Mark Reynolds(notes) in homers.
Cincinnati dropped its third straight, but still maintained a six-game lead over St. Louis, which lost to Milwaukee 4-2.
Chacin (8-9) turned in his fourth straight outing in which he has surrendered two earned runs or less. The rookie right-hander allowed two runs and six hits, struck out five and walked one.
Huston Street(notes) worked the ninth for his 16th save.
Johnny Cueto(notes) (12-5) was with the Reds after missing a few days to attend a family emergency in the Dominican Republic. The righty lasted six innings, giving up four runs—three earned—and seven hits.
Padres 2, Dodgers 1
SAN DIEGO (AP)—Mat Latos(notes) bounced back from stomach flu to strike out 10 for the third time in four starts for NL West-leading San Diego.
Latos held Los Angeles to four hits over seven innings. He set a major league record with his 15th straight start of five or more innings with two or fewer runs allowed. He had been tied with Greg Maddux(notes) (1993-94) and Mike Scott (1986) with 14.
Latos (14-5), who was scratched from his start Monday night due to stomach flu, lowered his major league-leading ERA from 2.25 to 2.21. His 10 strikeouts matched his career high, and his 113 pitches were a career high. He walked none.
Heath Bell(notes) got a five-out save, his 39th in 42 chances this year and his 26th straight.
It was the second straight win for the Padres following their 10-game losing streak. San Diego retained its one-game lead over San Francisco, which won 6-3 at Arizona.
Giants 6, Diamondbacks 3
PHOENIX (AP)—Tim Lincecum(notes) struck out 11 and San Francisco hit three homers.
The Giants have won four straight and six of Indianapolis Colts jersey
seven.
Lincecum (13-9) allowed one runner, Miguel Montero’s(notes) single, through six innings before the Diamondbacks broke through in the seventh. He left after 6 2-3 innings, giving up three runs and five hits with no walks in 6 2-3 innings.
Aubrey Huff(notes), Freddy Sanchez(notes) and Pat Burrell(notes) homered off Barry Enright(notes) (6-3).
Jeremy Affeldt(notes) induced a game-ending double play for a one-pitch save. It was his fourth of the season.
Chris Young homered for the Diamondbacks in a game that took just 2 hours, 16 minutes—Arizona’s shortest of the year.
Pirates 5, Braves 0
PITTSBURGH (AP)—James McDonald(notes) pitched seven innings, Ronny Cedeno’s(notes) triple keyed a five-run seventh and last-place Pittsburgh beat Atlanta for the second straight day.
The Braves have scored only 12 runs while losing five of six, a slump that followed a five-game winning streak. The Pirates had lost seven of nine and were on pace to lose 109 games before winning the first two games of the three-game series.
Tim Hudson(notes) (15-7) held the Pirates to three hits over six shutout innings, but he retired only one batter during the Pirates’ breakthrough seventh. He was charged with four runs after pitching 28 consecutive innings against Pittsburgh without allowing an earned run.
McDonald (3-5) gave up five hits in seven innings.
Mets 4, Nationals 1
WASHINGTON (AP)—Dillon Gee(notes) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his major league debut to lead New York.
The 24-year-old right-hander did a masterful job over seven innings. Willie Harris(notes) led off the sixth with a home run to right field, the only run the rookie would allow.
In a rare matchup of pitchers making big league debuts, Gee (1-0) outpitched Yunesky Maya(notes), a 28-year-old Cuban defector. Maya (0-1) allowed a three-run first-inning homer to Ike Davis(notes) and a run in the second before retiring 11 of the last 12 batters he faced.
Gee had an RBI single in his first major league at-bat, a single to right that scored Ruben Tejada(notes). For a while, Gee was the most perfect player in baseball history, sporting a 1.000 batting average and a 0.00 ERA. He spoiled it when he struck out in the fourth.
Astros 7, Cubs 3
CHICAGO (AP)—Michael Bourn(notes) had three hits and three RBIs and Brett Wallace(notes) hit his first career home run for Houston.
Bourn scored twice for the Astros, who won for the 12th time in 16 games.
Astros starter Nelson Figueroa(notes) (5-2) pitched five Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
innings to earn the victory. He allowed three runs and six hits. Figueroa was backed by four scoreless innings from the Houston bullpen, which allowed only one hit.
Cubs starter Carlos Silva(notes) (10-6), who made his first start since Aug. 1, was tagged for six runs and nine hits in five innings.

Cleveland (57-82) at Los Angeles (66-73)

Barring an incredible finish, the Los Angles Angels’ string of consecutive AL West titles will end at three.
A big reason they’ll likely miss the postseason has been their sudden struggles in Anaheim.
The Angels try to prevent their longest home losing streak in eight nfl jerseys
years and avoid being swept by the Cleveland Indians in Wednesday’s series finale.
Los Angeles (66-73) has won each of the last three West crowns, thanks in part to a 153-90 home record from 2007-09 - third-best in baseball.
It’s been a different story for the Angels this year, as they’ve dropped eight of nine at home to fall to 34-34 in Anaheim. Los Angeles hasn’t finished a season with a .500 or worse home record since it went 39-42 in 2001, en route to a 75-87 overall finish - the worst in Mike Scioscia’s 10 years as manager.
A lack of offense has been the biggest reason for the Angels’ recent home woes.
Los Angeles, which lost 6-1 to the Indians on Tuesday, has totaled four runs during its five-game skid at Angel Stadium. Bobby Abreu(notes) is 2 for 19 with eight strikeouts during the skid, while Hideki Matsui(notes) is 3 for 15 with no extra-base hits.
“If you’re not playing good baseball, it’s not going to matter Dallas Cowboys jersey
if you’re playing on the moon or any other planet,” Scioscia said.
Another sluggish offensive performance could make the Angels get swept by Cleveland in a three-game home series for the first time since Aug. 9-11, 1999. They are also trying to avoid dropping six straight at home for the first time since a seven-game skid April 3-13, 2002.
Although Los Angeles went on to win the World Series in 2002, the club doesn’t seem to have enough time to make a playoff push this year, trailing West-leading Texas by 9 1/2 games with 23 left to play.
The Angels also don’t appear to have the right person taking the mound in the series finale to give them the best chance of ending their home slide.
Scott Kazmir(notes) (8-13, 6.19 ERA) has lost his last seven home starts since defeating the Yankees on April 25, recording a 6.81 ERA in those outings. He’s also been frustrated regularly by the Indians (57-82), going 0-1 with an 11.20 ERA in his last three starts against them.
Kazmir was wild in Friday’s 8-0 loss to Oakland, walking a season-high six and hitting two batters over 5 2-3 innings. He yielded only two runs, but lost his third straight start and fourth consecutive decision.
Walks have been an ongoing problem for Kazmir, who is 1-8 with a 7.74 ERA in his last 10 outings. He’s issued 27 base on balls in 44 innings over his last eight starts.
Trying to sweep their first series since taking four in a row from Detroit from July 16-18, the Indians will counter with Josh Tomlin(notes) (3-3, 4.14), who tries to win his third consecutive start.
Tomlin allowed three runs - all in the third inning - and seven hits while striking out five and walking none in six innings of a 6-3 win over Seattle on Thursday. Despite getting knocked around in the third, Indians manager Manny Acta decided to stick with the rookie right-hander, who Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
rewarded that faith by retiring 10 of his last 11 batters he faced.
“Every start is a learning experience right now,” said Tomlin, who has never faced the Angels.

Donovan McNabb voices support for Albert Haynesworthmlb jersey, nba jersey, nfl jersey, nhl jersey, soccer jersey

Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb(notes) publicly defended Albert Haynesworth(notes) on Tuesday, calling the defensive tackle “one of our brothers in the locker room” whom the team cannot “win without him.”
Speaking on his weekly radio show on ESPN 980 and for the cheap nfl jerseys
first time since last week’s preseason finale, McNabb said he believes and hopes Haynesworth will still be a member of the Redskins, the Washington Post reports.
Just Tuesday morning, reports were published that the Redskins are in discussions with the Tennessee Titans for the second time this offseason about a trade involving Haynesworth.
But McNabb says Haynesworth is “a major part in our Dallas Cowboys jersey
defense and everybody knows that.”
Also, McNabb said his injured ankle isn’t at 100 percent yet, but he’ll be ready to start the Redskins’ Week 1 game against Dallas on Sunday.

Denver's memorable McDonald's run in Spain

Any American who's ever traveled to Europe or elsewhere overseas knows the feeling. At some point, yearning for a slice of home, you simply cave in and go to McDonald's.
That's how the Denver Pioneers apparently felt cheap nfl jerseys
during its two-week preseason tour through Spain and Andorra. It was during an off day in San Sebastian, Spain when the craving became too much to bear.
According to the team's blog, the locals didn't take it well.
It's safe to say that the players may be a little tapa'ed out, so most of Super Bowl XLIII jersey
them went to a burger place downtown for lunch today. In fact, they liked it so much that they went back for dinner.
One problem: the restaurant offered no side items. Including fries. So, knowing they couldn't eat a burger without fries, the players used their problem-solving skills by walking to McDonald's and ordering fries to take back to Disco Burgers.
It seems the restaurant's proprietors were less than thrilled with the players' solution, so everyone went from dining in to taking out in a matter of minutes.
No worries, guys. If the meal really did hit the spot, it St. Louis Rams jersey
was probably well worth the trouble.