BALTIMORE - Mired in a two-game losing streak and stuck in last place, the Baltimore Ravens broke out their old recipe for success to earn a much-needed
victory.
Jordi Alba Jersey .The Ravens have long relied on a strong running game and a suffocating defence to win, and that was
precisely the formula Baltimore used to beat the Tennessee Titans 21-7
Sunday.Justin Forsett ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns to back a redemptive
performance by the Baltimore defence that produced two turnovers, five sacks and
plenty of helmet-ringing hits.The catalyst was really our defence, obviously,
coach John Harbaugh said.The Ravens (6-4) repeatedly harassed rookie quarterback
Zach Mettenberger, who went 16 for 27 for 179 yards and an interception in his
first road start in the NFL. He rarely got the chance to comfortably plant both
feet in the pocket and was unable to move the offence after the first
quarter.They got a lot of dudes, they got a lot of studs in that front seven —
and they know it, Mettenberger said. Early in the first half we did a lot of
good things to kind of counteract their guys. We just got to ... be able to play
like that for 60 minutes.Tennessee didnt get its initial first down of the
second half until 4:37 was left in the game. Soon after that, newcomer Danny
Gorrer intercepted a pass to clinch it for the Ravens.Going into the bye, you
want to feel good about things and get back on track, tight end Owen Daniels
said. It was huge for us today.After the game, the Ravens complained that a CBS
camera crew aired Harbaughs comments to the team in the locker room.The comments
made by John Harbaugh in the locker room following todays victory over the
Titans were meant for Ravens players and coaches only, Ravens Senior
Vice-President Kevin Byrne said. The CBS-TV crew that was in the locker room was
told by Coach Harbaugh that it could not broadcast what he was about to
say.Byrne said CBS-TV immediately pulled the video and apologized to the
Ravens.It was a bounce-back performance by a defence that was embarrassed seven
days earlier in a 43-23 loss to Pittsburgh. In that game, Ben Roethlisberger
threw for 340 yards and six touchdowns.In this one, the Ravens limited Tennessee
to just 68 yards after the first quarter.Once we kind of got settled in and
figured everything out, we did what we had to do, Baltimore defensive tackle
Timmy Jernigan said.The Titans (2-7) have lost seven of eight. It was 7-all at
halftime, but Tennessee had three three-and-outs in the third quarter while the
Ravens took control.Tennessee had seven possessions without a first down and
finished with a meagre 210 yards in offence.Coach Ken Whisenhunt didnt blame it
all on Mettenberger.He did some good things today, made some good throws,
Whisenhunt said. I think he did a nice job of operating today in this
environment, which is not easy. But obviously, we have to be more productive.The
Titans lost tight end Delanie Walker in the second quarter with a concussion.
Walker, who came in tied for the team lead with 35 catches, got his hands on a
pass and was turning upfield when struck high and hard by Terrence Brooks.The
Ravens believe that hit made a lasting impression.I think the key play was when
(Walker) was turned up, linebacker Elvis Dumervil said. You dont want to hurt a
guy, but it was an aggressive, clean hit. It really made guys kind of think
about running back there.Joe Flacco completed 16 of 27 passes for 169 yards and
a touchdown for the Ravens, but the key was Forsett, who averaged 5.6 yards on
his 20 carries.Baltimore went ahead for the first time with 5:36 left in the
third quarter when Forsett scored on an 11-yard run to make it 14-7. Flacco went
5 for 5 on the 11-play, 72-yard drive.After the Titans failed to respond, Flacco
hit Torrey Smith for a 32-yard touchdown with 13:09 left.The Ravens made only
five first downs and were held to 86 yards in the first half.Tennessee took the
opening kickoff and held the ball for more than eight minutes before Shonn
Greene lost a fumble on third-and-goal at the Baltimore 1.After the Ravens went
three and out, Mettenberger capped a nine-play drive with a 3-yard pass to Leon
Washington. It was only the second time this season the Titans scored a
touchdown in the first quarter.At that point, Tennessee had a 142-8 advantage in
total yardage.Baltimore pulled even with a touchdown on its third possession. On
a fourth-and-1 from the Tennessee 9,. Forsett took a pitchout and sprinted
around Kamerion Wimbley into the end zone.Forsett earned the starting job after
Ray Rice received an indefinite suspension from the NFL for domestic abuse. Now
in his eighth season, Forsett has already reached career highs in yards (721),
carries (133) and touchdowns (5).Its been a dream come true, just to get the
opportunity to come out here and play and show what I can do, he said.NOTES:
Titans RB Dexter McCluster left in the first quarter with a knee injury. ...
Baltimores Terrell Suggs had 1 1/2 sacks and stands at 99 1/2 for his
career.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Claudio Bravo Jersey . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the
leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important
thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first
half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego
Costa did the rest.
Jordi Masip Jersey . Amid a rain of confetti, Shabazz Napier basked in the celebration on the court after being named the Most
Outstanding Player of the Final Four following the 60-54 win over
Kentucky.PRETORIA, South Africa - Kneeling in court and swinging a cricket bat
at Oscar Pistorius toilet door, a South African forensic analyst demonstrated
Wednesday how the double-amputee athlete may have bashed the door to get to the
girlfriend he had just fatally shot. Col. J.G. Vermeulen said he believed
Pistorius was on his stumps when he swung his bat at the brown cubicle door. The
defence, on cross-examination of the policeman, insisted instead that Pistorius
was wearing his prosthetic legs when hitting the door in the pre-dawn hours of
Valentines Day last year — and the marks from the bat on the door were lower
down because the athlete swung with a bent back. The intricate argument over
whether Pistorius, the first amputee to run at the Olympics and now on trial for
murder, was on his prosthetic limbs or not is important because it could match
parts of his story that he accidentally shot Reeva Steenkamp. It could also show
that he is lying. The athlete has said he fearfully approached the bathroom on
his stumps on Feb. 14 last year and shot Steenkamp by mistake, thinking she was
an intruder hiding behind the door. According to his account, he then put on his
prostheses and tried to kick down the locked toilet door, and battered it with a
cricket bat to get to his girlfriend after realizing what he had done.
Prosecutors maintain he intentionally shot the 29-year-old model and have
charged him with murder. He pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, which
also include three firearm related counts. The actual door that Pistorius shot
through a year ago was erected in the Pretoria courtroom Wednesday. The bat he
used that night was also used in the dramatic demonstrations. And there was even
a toilet cubicle behind the door, recreated to the exact specifications of the
small area of Pistorius bathroom where Steenkamp was fatally shot, Vermeulen
said. It included a toilet bowl. The door also had what appeared to be white
tags on it and, lower down and below the handle four bullet holes were clearly
visible. Pistorius shot at Steenkamp four times through the door, hitting her in
the hip, arm and head. One shot missed, the court has heard. Vermeulen, who said
he has 29 years experience as a forensic analyst, said it was his belief that
Pistorius was on his stumps — and against what the athlete says — when he hit
the door.
Dani Alves Jersey. "The marks is consistent with him being in a natural position without his prostheses," Vermeulen said.
The police analyst was repeatedly asked by both the prosecution and defence to
demonstrate his assertions by swinging the bat at the door. "Its quite low down
on the door," Vermeulen testified about one of the marks he said were made by
the bat. He said it was "not the normal position that I would expect from a mark
from a cricket bat." Defence lawyer Barry Roux countered that Pistorius hit the
door with a "bent back" and that the low marks were consistent with such a body
position. Roux also made it clear that the prosecution had now retracted initial
claims that Pistorius was on his prosthetics when he fired the shots that killed
Steenkamp. It is now accepted, Vermeulen said, that he was probably on his
stumps. That mistaken claim by prosecutors in the early part of the
investigation was used by them to argue there was premeditation in the killing
because they believed the disabled runner planned the killing while putting his
prosthetics limbs on. Earlier, Vermeulen also said a metal panel on the wall of
the main bathroom in Pistorius home had been damaged by being hit with a "hard"
object, or after the object fell against it. The steel plate was new evidence. A
photo of the damaged plate was shown. Prosecutors say Pistorius intentionally
shot Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, after a fight. Led by questions from
prosecutor Gerrie Nel, Vermeulen removed his blazer and walked down from the
witness stand and over to the door to demonstrate to the judge how he believes
the door was hit by Pistorius last year. Vermeulen said he was particularly
interested in two specific marks on the door that he concluded were made by the
bat and with the use of court photos and by kneeling down in court, Vermeulen
showed the low position that the person could have been in when striking the
door with the bat. Pistorius faces a possible life sentence if convicted of
murder for killing Steenkamp. The judge, who watched the demonstrations
Wednesday, will ultimately decide on the verdict. There is no trial by jury in
South Africa. Associated Press writer Torchia reported from Johannesburg.
Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '
