Dein erstes Forum » to-back games against Top 25 opponents.

ASHBURN, Va. -- When the Washington Redskins navigated the difficult process of replacing Robert Griffin III with Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback a year ago, Matt Cavanaugh was the man in the middle of it.Griffin, Cousins and veteran Colt McCoy all wanted to start. Only one could, so Cavanaugh had heart-to-heart conversations about the situation.Cousins threw for 4,166 yards and 26 touchdowns and led the Redskins to the NFC East title. Afterward, McCoy called Cavanaugh the team MVP for his stability and oversight.His ability to be the voice in our room, to take away the distractions, the things that went on and all that and for him to help Kirk the way that he did and silence a lot of things that couldve got out or went wrong, Cav did a great job, McCoy said. Cav really deserves a lot of credit for the way Kirk played and the way that our room was handled throughout the year.Cavanaugh played 13 seasons in the NFL and has coached at the pro and college levels for more than two decades. After helping Cousins establish himself, Cavanaugh goes into his second season as Redskins quarterbacks coach with a very different challenge.In Cousins the unquestioned starter, McCoy the entrenched backup and rookie Nate Sudfeld the long-term project, Cavanaugh must tailor his message to three very different quarterbacks. Thats pretty much a wheelhouse for Cavanaugh, who has made a career of being a quarterback whisperer.He played with Hall of Famers, played in multiple organizations, won Super Bowls, Cousins said. Hes coached Pro Bowlers, hes coached Hall of Famers and he knows what it looks like.Cavanaugh was offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Baltimore Ravens in 2000 with Trent Dilfer, and he coached Steve Young with the San Francisco 49ers in 1996. Dealing with the Griffin-Cousins-McCoy quarterback triangle was just another chapter.Ive been in those positions personally, so for me it wasnt a huge deal, Cavanaugh said. Maybe they relied on me at times because they know that I did play and that I probably experienced what theyre going through and it was easier to relate some situations that I had.Its that same experience that makes Cavanaugh qualified to help Cousins prove he deserves a long-term deal, keep McCoy prepared on a moments notice and coach up Sudfeld for the years ahead. Cavanaugh can pull from his time as a New England Patriots rookie and young starter and as Joe Montanas backup.Cousins developed into a leader as the franchise quarterback at 28, and his ascent with a career year is thanks in part to Cavanaughs tutelage.Hes helped simplify the game for me coaching me through my reads and trying to reduce the amount of clutter in my head as I read a defense, Cousins said.McCoy didnt start until a meaningless Week 17 game at Dallas last season, but he said Cavanaugh pushed him to stay sharp. Without practice snaps, McCoy leaned on Cavanaugh for details and philosophy.Thats what coach Jay Gruden and prodigious offensive coordinator Sean McVay count on Cavanaugh for.I cant say enough about him, what a great job hes done as far as leading that room, giving those guys a plan, helping develop the fundamentals and the mechanics of what were trying to get done at that position, McVay said.Already, Cavanaugh has devoted a lot of his time to Sudfeld, a sixth-round pick out of Indiana who has prototypical size but is raw at age 22. Sudfeld glowed about Cavanaugh months ago at rookie minicamp and has picked up a tremendous appreciation for the 59-year-old journeyman coach.He was very successful as a player so he automatically has that credibility and he can really relate to us, Sudfeld said. Theres some things where hes like, `I know how its difficult, youve just got to work through it on a certain read or a throw. Its really good to have that insight.Cavanaugh has been coaching since joining his alma mater, Pittsburgh, in 1992, yet he still feels like a developmental prospect. On a quarterback-friendly staff, the Youngstown, Ohio, native considers himself a student.I dont care how long youve been doing it, Ive been doing it for a while -- you come in and you feel a little behind, Cavanaugh said. Youre not quite sure of how everythings supposed to sound and youre trying to visualize a play when its called and in a split-second have an answer for the quarterback when he makes a decision. So Im feeling more comfortable with that and Ive got two great teachers in Jay and Sean, who know this system extremely well. Im here to learn, too.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Oakland Athletics Shirts . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Stitched Athletics Jerseys . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Custom Oakland Athletics Jerseys . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Athletics Jerseys 2020 . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Patrick Chambers wants his Penn State team to imagine a shorter shot clock and attack the hoop fast.Maybe not as fast as they did in Wednesdays 72-59 win over Colgate, however.Weve got to slow down a little bit inside, in the paint. We missed some point-blank shots, the Nittany Lions coach said. But overall it was a really, really good step for us.Payton Banks scored 20 points, Terrence Samuel added 16 and Tony Carr had 14 for the Nittany Lions (3-3) who snapped a two-game slide and relied on 3-pointers when high-percentage shots wouldnt fall.Banks drained four of his teams six first-half 3-pointers which came in handy as Penn State made just 11 of 39 2-pointers and were just 7-for-20 on tip-ins or layups. They made just 3 of 13 of those shots in the first 20 minutes.As Penn State sputtered, the Raiders used a 21-9 run to take a 21-15 lead, their largest of the game with 5:31 left in the first half. Penn State snapped out of its funk and regained control with eight points in less than a minute. Banks hit his fourth 3-pointer to put Penn State up for good, 23-21, with 4:22 left.Will Rayman led Colgate with 28 points. He made 10-of-16 field goals and drained five 3-pointers as the two teams combined for 21 3s in a game Penn State controlled after leading 30-23 at halftime.Rayman scored his teams first seven points of the second and the Raiders cut Penn States lead to 36-33 when OBrien drained a 3-pointer 4:37 into the second. But Penn State steadily pulled away.Im a little bit disappointed in the game, Colgate coach Matt Langel said. I thought we had a chance there if we had a little bit more urgency about us and made a feww smarter plays.ddddddddddddTHE BIG PICTUREColgate: The Raiders havent beaten a current Big Ten team since the 1973-74 season when they beat Penn State, before the Nittany Lions joined the league. Despite their lack of success against Power 5 teams, the Raiders continue to build experience and have the pieces they need to improve on last seasons 9-9 Patriot League finish.Penn State: The Nittany Lions got back in the win column after dropping back-to-back games against Top 25 opponents. Penn State played hard against No. 1 Duke in a 78-68 loss over the weekend but followed that up with an inconsistent performance in a 71-50 defeat to then-No. 24 Cincinnati.REAVES RETURNSGuard Josh Reaves returned after missing the first five games with a lower left leg injury and played 17 minutes. Voted the teams MVP by his peers in training camp, Reaves was pegged as a starter before he suffered the injury late in camp.Right now, Chambers said, the speedy sophomore might be the ideal spell coming off the bench. His infectious style certainly had an effect on his teammates when he entered just as Colgate took its only lead. It wouldnt last long.Josh is a huge spark guy and hes not even at 100 percent and hes still flying around, Banks said. I feel like we came out a little dull and when he came in the game it was like automatic life.Reaves finished with five points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal.UP NEXTColgate plays its fifth-straight on the road, visiting Columbia on Saturday.Penn State visits George Washington on Saturday. ' ' '