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yuyang123
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Jan 5 2013, 11:24 AM
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DETROIT -- Calvin Johnson is used to looking down at defensive backs. Joel Dreessen Womens Jersey . The Detroit Lions 6-foot-5 wide receiver wont be able to do that against the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle can match up cornerbacks Brandon Brower and Richard Sherman, both of whom are at least 6-3, with Johnson and can have 6-3 safety Kam Chancellor lurking nearby. "Thats like a junior college basketball team," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "Theyve got some length and some size." While preparing for Seattle, Johnson said the tall defensive backs remind him of New York Jets 6-2 cornerback Antonio Cromartie "Its like theyve got a bunch of Cromarties," Johnson said. Even smaller defenders, though, have slowed down Johnson and that has led to Detroit (2-4) going into Sundays against Seattle (4-3) desperate for a win. Johnson has scored one touchdown -- on a pass from backup quarterback Shaun Hill -- after scoring 16 last season during one of the best seasons by a receiver in NFL history. "You cant get too caught up in what has happened," Johnson said. "You just have to keep pushing when adversity comes knocking because an NFL season is a 16-game grind." Seahawks coach Pete Carroll thinks his big cornerbacks have a shot to keep Johnson in check. "Well, were closer to him than everybody else is," Carroll said. "They only have to look up a little bit. Itll be interesting to see how our guys do. I can only imagine when the corners that are 5-10 or 5-11 are looking up at him." Days before the game in Detroit, Sherman changed his name on his Twitter account to "Optimus Prime," a Transformers character going into his matchup with Johnson, whose nickname is "Megatron." Sherman, who leads the NFL with 11 passes defended, insisted that covering Johnson is the same as facing Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Smith or Brandon Lloyd. "Aint no different to me, I dont care who is out there," Sherman said. "Its the league. There is going to be a good receiver out there every week." The Lions are down a good receiver for the rest of the year in Nate Burleson after he broke his right leg in Monday nights loss at Chicago. Theyre hoping second-year pro Titus Young, rookie Ryan Broyles and tight end Tony Scheffler do enough together to make up for the loss. "I need to take advantage of every single opportunity Im given, especially when guys are focusing attention on Calvin and like we saw last week," Young said. "Guys are game-planning to shut down the best receiver in the NFL, and I guess Im the next guy up." Seattle will be without receiver Doug Baldwin, who has a high left ankle sprain and might be replaced by Charly Martin. The Seahawks, though, have one of the more promising young quarterbacks in the league. Russell Wilson, a third-round pick, leads his draft class of quarterbacks with four wins and is the first rookie QB since the merger to throw game-winning touchdown passes in the last two minutes of regulation or in overtime. He did it against New England and Green Bay. Wilson has completed nearly 60 per cent of his passes with eight TDs and seven interceptions and has run for 119 yards on 35 carries. "I feel very, very comfortable," Wilson said. Matthew Stafford, meanwhile, is not coming close to the production he had last season in his first full year as a starter. Stafford has thrown fewer TDs (five) than interceptions (six) after throwing 41 TDs and 16 interceptions last year. Stafford connected nine times with Johnson in the end zone during a 5-0 start that set the team up for its first playoff appearance since the 1999 season. Stafford acknowledged teams have done a good job of keeping Johnson out of the end zone with their blanketing coverages and fewer blitzes from a year ago. "We have to just hurt them in other ways," he said. "And guys have to step up and make plays, including myself." Detroit started the season with a quest to put the franchise in consecutive postseasons for the first time since the mid-1990s. The odds are stacked against the Lions right now, and they would get worse with another loss. Since 1978, 18 of 208 teams that started 2-4 since earned a spot in the playoffs, according to STATS LLC, and four of 156 teams that lost five of their first seven games rallied to make the post-season. "If we lose, we go down," Lions cornerback Chris Houston said. "If we win, we still got a chance." Terrell Davis Jersey . After wriggling out of a ninth-inning jam Friday night with his arm, it was a lot easier for Francisco to laugh at a bit of headline-grabbing trouble he made with his mouth earlier in the week. Peyton Manning Orange Jersey . Collins hurt his neck while trying to make a tackle in the Packers Sept. 18 victory at Carolina, an injury that ended his season and required surgery. Agent Alan Herman said Collins has not decided whether he will attempt to play for another team. http://www.nfldenverbroncosfans.com/demaryius-thomas-jersey . -- Luke Hochevar was taken aback when he walked into the managers office one day and manager Ned Yost and the Royals coaches started trying to convince him to make a change. Von Miller Elite Jersey . The Clippers were held to 11 points in the fourth quarter as they shot 4 for 23 from the field. Los Angeles also missed its last 19 3-point attempts. After trailing throughout the first three quarters, the Hornets went ahead with an 11-2 run at the start of the fourth and led the rest of the way. Ryan Clady Jersey . -- Mark Calcavecchia has one more reason to like Canada. LAKEWOOD, N.J. -- Ryan Howard went 2 for 4 with three RBIs Thursday night to start a minor league rehab assignment that the Philadelphia Phillies will watch closely as they determine whether they will be buyers or sellers at the trading deadline. The 32-year-old former NL MVP said he is no longer worried about his Achilles, and just needs to refine his timing and baserunning before being ready to rejoin the struggling Phils. Howard began the second inning for Class A Lakewood by grounding out to the right of the second base bag, where the West Virginia shortstop playing in a shift gloved it. But unlike last year, when he crumpled to the ground with a ruptured Achilles as the Phillies season ended in Game 5 of the National League Division Series, this groundout was full of promise. More than eight months after his injury was the defining image of the Phillies post-season failure, Howard was back on the field in the same Jersey shore stadium where he starred as a minor leaguer in 2002. "It felt good," Howard said. "The running part was the biggest thing." And on that score Howard pronounced himself good to go. "I didnt really think about it," he said. "Adrenaline kicked in. "Im not worried about my Achilles at all." In his second-inning groundout, Howard hustled down the first base line with no apparent difficulty. In the fourth, he hit a two-run single up the middle on the first pitch, then had to scamper back to first when the next batter flied out to the warning track. "It felt really good being able to run back and slide, pop-up slide," Howard said. "Its just getting back into game situations." He followed with another single to nearly the same spot in the fifth, beating a wide throw to first, and struck out swinging in the seventh. Rahim Moore Womens Jersey. Howard came to the plate for the fifth time in the bottom of the ninth with Lakewood trailing 6-4 and the bases loaded. He launched a drive to deep left centre, bringing the sellout crowd of 8,000 to its feet, but the ball was caught on the warning track for a sacrifice fly. The next batter hit a two-run single to give Lakewood a 7-6 win in the South Atlantic League game. Howard said he expects to feel some soreness on Friday, but did not expect it to be bad. He also said he should be ready to play the field soon. "Ive been taking ground balls every day for the past month and a half," he said. "At some point I have to get out there." Howard, a three-time All-Star, was the designated hitter at FirstEnergy Park as the BlueClaws took on the West Virginia Power. In keeping with long-running tradition when a major leaguer rehabs with a minor league club, he treated his new teammates to steak dinners, a step up from their typical clubhouse fare. How well -- and quickly -- Howard progresses through rehab, along with how well Chase Utley does in his own return from injury may well determine what the Phillies do at the trade deadline. Philadelphia lost 5-4 decision to Pittsburgh earlier in the day for the Phillies second straight loss after a modest win streak, and they sit in last place in the NL East, nine games behind Washington. Utley returned on Wednesday, and homered in his first at-bat. Howard said hes anxious to return to the Phillies, but will be cautious not to rush back before hes ready. If his rehab goes the full 20 days, Howard could rejoin the Phillies July 18 in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. "Ive been patient for eight, nine months now," he said. "Another week or two is not going to kill me." ' ' '
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