Hunde Stammtisch » Memphis pushed the first-half lead to as many as 21 bef

BEREA, Ohio - Browns cornerback Justin Gilbert is ending his season confused, offended and determined.Nobody said its easy being an NFL rookie.The No. 8 overall pick in this years draft, Gilbert has been a major disappointment, so much so that a few of his teammates were publicly critical of him in recent days, saying he had wasted his first season.Following practice on Friday, Gilbert said he was hurt by some of those sharp remarks and promised to atone for his missteps.Im not mad at anyone about it, I brought it upon myself and I can take that and roll with it, he said. I messed up, but I can promise my teammates Im going to make it right.The Browns used their first pick this year to select the 6-foot, 202-pound Gilbert, a dynamic defender and return specialist at Oklahoma State. The team believed that by putting him on the opposite side of Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden the Browns would have one of the leagues toughest defensive backfields. But it didnt go according to plan as Gilbert made just two starts, was passed on the depth chart by undrafted free agent KWaun Williams and Pierre Desir, a fourth-round pick, and was benched.He didnt perform on the field and had a questionable work ethic away from it.Gilbert refused to get into any specifics about what may have prompted safety Donte Whitner and linebacker Karlos Dansby — two of the teams most respected veterans — to speak out about him. Browns coach Mike Pettine said he didnt have a problem with any teammate giving tough love to another.Im not a person to judge my teammates and put it out there in the media like that, Gilbert said. If I have a problem with somebody, I would address them face to face and thats just all I can say about that.Gilbert said part of the problem could be that hes not outgoing and his quietness may have rubbed others the wrong way. Gilbert felt some of the criticism may have been a little too personal.I think it may have crossed the line a little bit, he said, but at the same time were all here to do the same thing and thats win and provide for our families. So some of the things were right and some of the things couldve been kept to themselves.Gilbert would not address if he has been late to meetings.We keep family business in the family, he said.Earlier this week, rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel acknowledged he may have misjudged the transition to the NFL and said he intends to work harder in the off-season. Gilbert agrees with Manziel and that he may have taken some things for granted.Not anymore.I think I came along as the season went on and I think I made some pretty good plays down the stretch that werent really noticed or talked about like the plays that I didnt make that were talked about at the beginning of the season, so its just how things went I guess, he said. Ive just got to come back next season and turn it all around. ... I can assure everyone here that I will work a lot harder, in the off-season and during the season. Thats one promise I can make.Does he want to be great?I will be great, he said.Gilbert said his enthusiasm for playing with the Browns has not been dampened. If anything, hes more determined to show the team he was worthy of a high pick.It definitely sparked a flame inside of myself to want to prove a lot of people wrong and a lot of doubters, he said. Thats going to be one of my main goals next year. I think its just a little, minor setback for a major comeback.NOTES: Versatile CB Buster Skrine, an unrestricted free agent following the season, said he hopes to re-sign with Cleveland. Browns defensive co-ordinator Jim ONeil would like to see that happen. I would love to bring Buster back, he said. Hes one of my favourite guys on the defence. He embodies Play Like a Brown. I dont ever want to let good players walk out the door. ... DL Ahtyba Rubin will not play in Sundays finale because of a left ankle injury. Rubin, who played in his 100th game with Cleveland last week, is also a free agent. ... S Jim Leonhard insists Sunday will be his final game, ending a 10-year NFL career. Getting out there in the fourth quarter knowing that its the last one, Im sure the emotions will hit, he said.___Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Air Jordan 12 Wholesale Australia .Y. -- Mark Steenhuis scored four goals and added two assists to lead the Buffalo Bandits over the Toronto Rock 12-10 in National Lacrosse League action on Saturday. Jordan 12 Cheap For Sale . Brad Malone had the other goal for the Monsters (1-1-0), while Elliott chipped in an assist for a three-point night and the games first star. Bryan Lerg also had two assists. Corban Knight and Max Reinhart scored for the Heat (1-1-0), who opened their season Friday with a 5-2 win over the Monsters in Cleveland. http://www.cheapairjordan12australia.com/ . James Jones got his turn Sunday. And the lift he brought, combined with the expected playoff showings from LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, have the Heat off and running in these playoffs. Cheap Air Jordan 12 Australia . Moments after scoring and setting off another wild celebration at Minsk arena, Platt leapt into the arms of Belarusian captain Alexei Kalyuzhny. Cheap Jordan 12 Retro Australia . Nine years later, he might have finally figured it out. He had only five rounds in the 60s in his previous eight trips.MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis Grizzlies jumped out to an early lead and didnt let the Minnesota Timberwolves gain any confidence the rest of the way. Mike Conley had 23 points and six assists, Marc Gasol added 14 points and 12 rebounds and the Grizzlies easily dispatched the short-handed Timberwolves 109-92 on Monday night. "We caught a good team on the second night of a back-to-back," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. Memphis goal was to take immediate advantage of a Minnesota team coming off a 127-120 loss to Phoenix on Sunday in which the Timberwolves squandered a 22-point lead. Memphis never trailed and held a double-digit lead from the 3:27 mark of the first quarter to the end. "We didnt want to give them too much leeway," Conley said. "Weve been in the same shoes. Youre coming in off a tough game, and you kind of walk through the first part of the game. "We just wanted to jump out there as early as we could, set the tempo and try to get ahead of them." Zach Randolph finished with 17 points for Memphis, while Tayshaun Prince and Ed Davis added 12 points apiece. Mike Miller scored 11 as the Grizzlies won their 10th straight home game. Kevin Love led the Timberwolves with 16 points, but shot 6-of-18 from the field, part of Minnesota shooting 38 per cent for the game. Corey Brewer had 15 points and Kevin Martin finished with 13. Gorgui Dieng, in the starting lineup because of injuries on Minnesotas front line, finished with 11 points and 17 rebounds. The victory left Memphis in the seventh spot in the Western Conference playoff race, a half-game ahead of Dallas and Phoenix. Meanwhile, the consecutive losses to the Grizzlies and Suns pushed the Timberwolves seven games behind Phoenix and the Mavericks. While not mathematically eliminated, the Timberwolves are beginning to understand their situation. "We just have to be competitive. Thats the biggest key right now — get through the end of the season and play each game competitively," forward Chase Budinger said. "Thats how yoou have to look at it.dddddddddddd" The Timberwolves continued to deal with injuries as centres Nikola Pekovic and Ronny Turiaf sat out, along with backup point guard J.J. Barea. With the absences, Memphis dominated the inside and outscored Minnesota in the paint 66-42 and held a 54-42 advantage on the boards. "They played physical," Love said. "When you play a team like that on a back-to-back, especially this late in the season, especially without Pek and Ronny and some depth, its tough." The first quarter was a horrid shooting exhibition. The teams combined to miss the games first nine shots, and Memphis shot only 44.4 per cent in the quarter. Minnesota started 3-of-16 before rallying to 5-of-24 (20.8 per cent for the quarter). "We just got off to such a bad start and missed a ton of shots," Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said. "We allowed them 40 points in the paint in the first half. They controlled the game pretty much the whole game." Memphis pushed the first-half lead to as many as 21 before Minnesota got going midway through the second period. But the Grizzlies held a 57-39 lead at the break. Memphis extended the lead to 24 in the third quarter and appeared to be in control. But Minnesota closed the period on a 15-4 run, including the final nine to cut the advantage to 81-68 entering the fourth. Memphis opened the final period with 12 straight points, including consecutive 3-pointers from Miller and Conley, and Memphis lead was at 93-68. "We had a little miscommunication, relaxed a little bit, and they took advantage," Gasol said. "At the end of the third, we got a little sloppy, but we picked it up again and went up. The reaction is what matters." NOTES: Randolph hit a 3-pointer from the left corner in the third quarter. He was 0-for-16 from outside the arc for the season. ... Memphis has not lost at home since dropping a decision to Dallas on Feb. 5. ... The victory assured Memphis of its fourth straight winning season. ... Memphis G Tony Allen missed the game with a stomach bug. ' ' '