Blaine Gabbert on Detroit Lions Matchup, 49ers Third-down Philosophy

Eagles vs. Lions | Week 12 Highlights | NFL

The starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers spoke with reporters prior to the team"s Week 16 road game against the Detroit Lions.

After converting on 2-of-14 third downs last week versus the Cincinnati Bengals, Blaine Gabbert discussed how the offense can improve moving forward. The signal-caller also touched on the play of Joe Staley, Trent Brown and Shaun Draughn.

What stood out to you in terms of the struggles on third down against the Bengals?

"Its what the defense is playing. They know what were trying to do on 3rd-and-15. Were trying to get to the sticks. So thats the coverage that theyre going to play. Theyre going to drop everybody right there at the marker and like I said, make you throw underneath so then they can rally and make a tackle.

So my job on 3rd-and-long is to find some type of completion. Whether it be past the sticks or underneath the sticks, just get the ball in our guys hands and let them make a play."

You don"t want to force anything and make a dramatic error?

"Yeah, its all predicated on what the defense does. Were not hitting check downs because we want to... Youve seen guys hit check downs that go for 25-yards. I love using the example when Joe Flacco hit Ray Rice, I think it was 4th-and-25 in the playoffs and he got 26 yards and they go on to win the Super Bowl. Our guys have the ability to do that. Its just my job to give them the football.

How well has Staley played at left tackle for you this season?

"Joes done a tremendous job. The consistency that he brings day in and day out, and the work ethic that he brings to the practice field is second-to-none. So when you have a guy leading like that on the offensive line, it shows the young guys how to approach daily work. Hes done a great job.

Our entire offensive line had a tough task last week and they played tremendous. Those guys fought their tails off and gave me plenty of time to do my job.

Do you think Brown could be a legitimate starter in the NFL?

"No question. He has all the physical attributes and being a young guy in the NFL, its kind of that maturation process that the young guys go through. Hes getting better on a daily basis and thats what you look for.

He came in and stepped right up and didnt miss a beat when he was in the game last week. Gave us a little juice up there and definitely think thats something he can build off moving forward.

How big of a loss would it be if Draughn can"t play versus the Lions?

"Yeah, Shauns done a tremendous job but like Ive always said, injuries are a part of the game. You never want them to happen to a friend and a teammate but at the same time, its the next man up mentality. So the running backs in that room are eager to step up and fill that void if he cant go, but I hope he heals quickly and we have him back out there."

Source: http://www.49ers.com/news/article-2/Blaine-Gabbert-on-Detroit-Lions-Matchup-49ers-Third-down-Philosophy/a2941b99-7ae4-4c6d-b968-4c7a745747cc

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Steam"s winter sale features deals on Witcher 3, GTA V, and much more

Top 10 games to watch for on the Steam Winter Sale 2015
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Source: http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/23/10658284/steam-winter-sale-2015-list-pc-games-witcher-gta

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Jennifer Lawrence dishes on hooking up with Liam Hemsworth, but says she won"t ...

Liam Hemsworth: Jennifer Lawrence Is "Terrible at Walking" - Late Night with Seth Meyers

Leave it to Andy Cohen to get Jennifer Lawrence to gossip about herself.

The "Joy" and "Hunger Games" star stopped by Cohen"s "Watch What Happens Live!" on Monday and dished on everything from her behavior at the Oscars to the lowdown on her celebrity pals.

The Bravo host managed to get the 25-year-old to admit that she also made out with her "Hunger Games" costar Liam Hemsworth, who plays Gale in the recently wrapped four-film franchise, though she didn"t say when nor did she say whether he was still with ex-fiancee Miley Cyrus at the time.

"It has recently been rumored that you and Liam Hemsworth had some PDA at the Waverly Inn," Cohen said during a game of "Plead the Fifth." "Have you two ever kissed when the cameras weren"t rolling?"

"Liam and I grew up together. Liam"s real hot," Lawrence began, smirking a little bit. "What would you have done?"

"I would say yes!" Cohen responded.

"Yeah," Lawrence said, laughing.

"I would pick Gale over Peeta any day," Cohen continued.

"I did at one point," she added.

ALSO: Meet Jennifer Lawrence, who is awkward at s*x um, s*x scenes

Cohen then asked Lawrence whether she smoked marijuana at any of the awards shows, which his guest Susan Sarandon admitted to doing when she appeared on "WWHL!" in 2013.

"I smoked pot at none of them, but I saw my brother smoking out of a bong at one of the Oscars. I won"t say which," she said, later admitting that she took a hit too. However, our favorite red carpet klutz wouldn"t say whether it was the year she had won her leadactress Academy Award.

The actress did plead the fifth to Cohen"s final question, which asked who among her former costars of Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper and Josh Hutcherson she"d marry, s**g or kill. She pleaded the fifth because she "didn"t want to kill one of them."

Elsewhere in the show, the candid star showed off her familiarity with the Bravo"s "Real Housewives" stars and opened up about her headline-grabbing November dinner with singer Adele and actress Emma Stone, and even shut down a fan question about singer Justin Bieber.

When asked who picked up the check at dinner, Lawrence couldn"t remember but alluded to the "Hello" singer"s chart-topping sales week.

"Oh, G*d, I don"t know who picked up the check. It might"ve been Adele," said. "I think we would"ve all been like, "Adele, you"ve had a pretty good week." So I"m sure we would"ve probably let her get it," she said, later adding that they "talk about everything but work."

Then a caller brought up Bieber"s remarks that he thought Lawrence was "so sexy and so cute," asking if she would ever "tap that."

"Uh, I"m gonna say a hard no," she replied. "But thanks."

I write about celebs and other entertaining things. Follow me on Twitter @NardineSaad.

Copyright 2015, Los Angeles Times

Source: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-jennifer-lawrence-liam-hemsworth-adele-20151222-htmlstory.html

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Eagles 4 downs: DeMeco Ryans on facing former locker-mate DeSean Jackson

Redskins vs. Eagles Preview (Week 16) | NFL

PHILADELPHIA --When the Eagles released wide receiver DeSean Jacksonfollowing the 2013 season, it began a thorough housecleaning by head coach Chip Kelly.

One of the first initiatives undertaken by Kelly when he was hired as the Eagles" head coach was to rearrange the team"s locker room. No longer would the stalls of players from the same position group be located in the same vicinity as one another.

PLUS:Scouts break down Eagles-Redskins

Under Kelly"s new layout, Eagles inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans wound up having his locker alongside Jackson"s during the head coach"s first NFL season.

Coincidentally, Ryans is one of just 17 players on the current roster who were teammates with Jackson.

In a weekly series called Eagles 4 DownsNJ Advance Media sits down with an Eagles player to discuss a key aspect of the upcoming game. This week, Ryans opens up about facing the dynamic wide receiver with the team"s playoff hopesat stake Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field:

ALSO: Agholor upbeat during down season

FIRST DOWN:Given that you are one of the last players on this roster that were around at the same time DeSean Jackson was here, what was it like having him as a teammate?

DeMeco Ryans:"I think he was a good teammate and cool guy to be around. His locker was actually right next to mine. He was a great player. The one thing about him is he demands a lot of attention when he"s out there on the field."

MORE:Why Jaylen Watkins doesn"t want to wind up on SportsCenter

SECOND DOWN:The last time you played Washington, he was injured and wasn"t out there on the field. As far as your preparation goes and your mentality leading up to the game, how much different do those things need to be this time around?

DeMeco Ryans:"The amount of attention you have to give him when he"s on the field is the biggest thing. He does a good job going deep. He"s not just a deep threat, he"s a big-time deep threat in this league. He"s been doing it for a long time. From that standpoint when he"s out there you have to have guys on him. They have to be ready to cover the vertical passing game because that"s what he does really well."

MORE: Kendricks gives Redskins bulletin board material

THIRD DOWN:He obviously took a lot of pride in ending your guys" season last year in Week 16. This time around the situation is pretty much identical. If they beat you, the season"s over and if you guys win it sets you up pretty nicely to play for the division title in Week 17. How much is that on your mind as far as a revenge factor goes?

DeMeco Ryans:"For me ... We have to come out and show them that we want it badder than they do. That"s the kind of game it"s going to be. It"s a playoff type feel around here already. We have to win to stay in it. For us, the playoffs start this week. I know that sounds cliche, but that"s just the way it is. If we win we live to play next week and keep rolling. Both teams have a lot on the line. I expect it to be a very tough game from both sides."

FOURTH DOWN:You"re obviously one of the more vocal and respected leaders on this team and you have a good sense of the mood and mentality of this group. Obviously Sunday didn"t go the way you wanted it to, but how do you bounce back from that during a short week?

DeMeco Ryans:"It"s obviously a big disappointment from Sunday. The thing about it is we can"t allow that to linger. We can"t allow it to impact us going into this week. What happened against Arizona, they"re a great team and they got us. We did"t play well. Going into this Saturday it"s all about whether or not you want it bad enough. If you want it, you"ll step up and bring your "A" game. It"s as simple as that. There"s nothing that needs to be said, or any speeches, or anything like that. Nobody really needs to remind the guys what we"re playing for. Everybody knows what"s on the table. If we want it bad enough, we"ll step up and play our "A" game, for sure."

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MDLombardo@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter@MattLombardo975.Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook

Source: http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2015/12/eagles_4_downs_demeco_ryans_on_facing_former_locke.html

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Will Smith Enlightened by Playing "Concussion" Doctor

Concussion - Official Trailer #2 (ft Will Smith)

While the new Will Smith film "Concussion" may lead some to question their support of the NFL, the forensic pathologist who first drew attention to the dangers of repeated head trauma said he wanted his discoveries to "advance football."

"Concussion" tells the true story of Dr. Bennet Omalu who stumbled upon an insidious brain disorder affecting football players that began in 2002 with an autopsy on former Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster.

"I had this hunger in me to use my knowledge to become a voice for the voiceless, to make a difference, just like Will Smith," Omalu said.

Smith said the script enlightened him about the dangerous effects of multiple concussions.

"When I met Bennet and went through the science, I was terrified as a parent," Smith said. "My son played football for four years and I had no idea this was an issue."

Omalu studied the brains of NFL players who had died under dubious circumstances, including former NFL players Justin Strzelczyk, Terry Long, and Andre Waters, who are depicted in the film. Strzelczyk was involved in a head-on collision on the wrong side of the highway evading police; Waters shot himself in the head; and Terry Long died from drinking anti-freeze.

His study, in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh"s pathology department, led to the discovery that the former players were suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, an asymptomatic brain disease. The effects of the incurable disease don"t show up until later in life and manifest as psychotic episodes, dementia, and suicide.

CTE had been researched previously in boxers and it had been identified in soccer and rugby players, though Omalu"s work first linked it to American football players and has sparked broad discussions about player safety.

After researching the role and learning more about the condition, Smith remains a football fan. Yet, he feels different about the game.

"I wanted to be a part of it just to deliver information to parents and to players because if I didn"t know, I felt a lot of other people didn"t know," Smith said.

David Morse, who plays Webster in the film, found the role a challenge.

"(Mike Webster) was adored by people, the city of Pittsburgh, but what we see is a man at the end of his life with dementia," Morse said. "He"s gluing his teeth in with Super Glue, tasering himself. He"s just in a kind of h**l at the end of his life."

Webster"s problems progressed after his 1997 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He went on a downward spiral, dying in 2002 at age 50.

Morse admits playing Webster affected him.

"I"m fascinated by the game, but I can"t watch it the same way," he said. "I still watch it, but I understand way more about what"s happening to these people on the field."

The NFL attacked the study, and the Nigerian-born Omalu feared deportation. But he kept his resolve.

"My faith made me not afraid," Omalu said. "Americans are perfect and seek perfection in whatever they do, so I was simply being American to contribute my part to this wonderful country, to actually advance football."

Morse sees that era as a dark period for professional football.

"The NFL at that time period should not look good. They were doing the wrong thing. they were trying to crush anybody, Dr. Omalu, who wanted to talk about it," he said. "Now, they starting to do the right thing and thank goodness they are.

"Nobody wants the game to go away, but there needs to be an awareness and an honesty with players and parents of young children playing the game," Morse said.

Follow John Carucci at http://www.twitter.com/jacarucci

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/smith-enlightened-playing-concussion-doctor-35921900

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Michigan State Basketball Gameday: Spartans take No. 1 ranking on the road to ...

Michigan State vs Northeastern basketball 12.19.2015

College basketball: Michigan State vs. Maryland Eastern Shore - Dec. 9, 2015

Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine (45) goes up for a layup in the first half of their NCAA basketball game against Maryland Eastern Shore at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Wednesday, December 9, 2015. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

GAME INFORMATIONWho: No. 1 Michigan State (11-0) at Northeastern (7-3)When: 12:30 p.m.Where: Matthews Arena, BostonTV: NBC Sports NetworkRadio: Spartan Sports Network, WJIM-AM (1240)/WMMQ-FM (94.9) in Lansing, WJR-AM (760) in Detroit, Sirius XM Ch. 195Line: Michigan State -9Facebook: Like our MLive Sports Facebook pageTwitter: Follow Kyle Austin and Mike Griffith.Live coverage: Join the MLive conversation at 11:30 a.m.

GAME NOTES

Michigan State is off to the second-best start in school history, with 11 consecutive wins to start the season. With a win on Saturday, the Spartans can match the 2000-01 team for the best start in school history.

The Michigan State women"s basketball team beat Northeastern, 77-51, on Friday night to kick off the three-game Northeastern Winter Showdown. After the men"s basketball game between the two schools, Matthews Arena will be converted to ice hockey for a 7 p.m. faceoff.

Matthews Arena, which opened in 1910, is the oldest active men"s basketball arena in the United States. The arena was the first home venue of the Boston Celtics, and housed the original parquet floor. Saturday"s game will mark the first sellout there in nearly 20 years.

Saturday"s game will mark the fifth time in the last seven years that Michigan State has played a true road game at a mid-major school. The Spartans have also played at The Citadel, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green and Navy during the stretch.

Michigan State ranks among the top 15 teams in the country in four defensive categories: scoring defense (4th, 56.8), field goal percentage defense (5th, .351), 3-point field goal percentage defense (9th, .266) and blocked shots (13th, 6.2).

PRE-GAME LINKS

Tom Izzo says Northeastern a "major concern" as Michigan State looks to go to 12-0 Michigan State"s Bryn Forbes sheds "soft" label, earns praise from Tom Izzo Michigan State notes: Gavin Schilling"s recovery, farewell to Bo Ryan and Tom Izzo"s accordion Ask Austin: Final exam week questions on Michigan State basketball Michigan State basketball by the numbers: How other early season No. 1s have fared 5 things to watch: Michigan State one win away from matching best start in program history

Source: http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2015/12/michigan_state_basketball_game_129.html

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Scouts break down Eagles vs. Washington Redskins

EAGLES ~ "LYIN" EYES" 1977

PHILADELPHIA All right so it"s a 6-8 team against a 7-7 team; it"s still the biggest game of the season and will, in all probability, determine the NFC Eastchampion.

The Washington Redskins (7-7) come to Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday night with a chance to win the division title, if they can beat the Eagles(6-8) for the second time this season and for the third straight time overall.

PLUS:Agholor remains upbeat

If the Eagles win Saturday night they could win their second division title in three years with a win the following week against the Giants.

Three highly-regarded scouts gave their take on their game and broke down the match-ups.

"I"m going with the Eagles, simply because they"re home,"" the first scout said. "I think it"s going to be close.""

The second went with the visitors.

"Anything can happen, right?"" he said. "But you"re asking me to pick, I"ll take Washington. (The Redskins) are just playing better right now.""

Finally, the third scout hedged his pick.

"With DeMarco Murray, Eagles 20-17,"" he said. "Without DeMarco Murray, Redskins, 24-14.""

MORE: Eagles in driver"s seat

Here"s the breakdown:

Redskins" offense vs. Eagles" defense

"You tell me the Eagles secondary is injured and then you add DeSean (Jackson)coming back with some motivation, that"s scary (for the Eagles),"" one scout said.

He added that while the primary focus will be on Jackson, the former Eagle, the Redskins spread the ball around and get everyone involved.

"They have (Pierre) Garcon and he"ll make all the tough, third-down catches,"" he said. "And then the tight end, Jordan Reed. They scheme him up and get the match-ups they want. That"s their guy.""

ALSO:3 Eagles selected for Pro Bowl

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins has been playing well, too.

Cousins, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, has a quarterback rating of 101.4, or better, in each of his last four games, including a near-perfect 153.7 last week against the Buffalo Bills.

In his last two games, both wins, Cousins is 46-for-59 for 619 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception. He also ran for two touchdowns.

"He"s showing he"s a NFL quarterback,"" one scout said. "And making himself some money, too.""

One scout said Washington"s running game with Alfred Morris and Matt Jones is scheme-based.

"They"re the old-school three-four yards at a time. Every once and again Jones will break one, or he"ll get you on a screen. But mostly they just want to grind it out when they run.""

How should the Eagles attack the offense?

"They have to get after Cousins, put him in a bad spot,"" one scout said. "That"s what Dallas did and it worked. Billy Davis likes to blitz, he might have to come up with some different ones to throw Cousins off his game.""

PLUS: Bradford just not good enough

Redskins" defense vs. Eagles" offense

"Give their coordinator (Joe Barry) a lot of credit,"" one scout said of the Redskins. "He"s doing a great job. He"s got them in the right schemes, making the right calls. He couldn"t have them playing much better than they are. Because talent-wise I really don"t like them much.""

Washington"s numbers on defense are not that impressive.

"You look at them on paper and you think that"s a really bad defense,"" another scout said. "But they play hard. They come up with a big play when they need it.""

The Redskins are 25th in overall defense: tied for 13th against the pass and 27th against the run. They allow 23.7 points per game, 15th in the league.

Quarterbacks have thrown 26 touchdown passes against them, with just nine interceptions for a cumulative passer rating of 96.2.

"You can make plays against their secondary,"" the first scout said. "If (Sam) Bradford and those receivers play well, the Eagles win.""

Mark Eckel may be reached atmjeck04@verizon.net. Follow him on Twitter@MarkEckel08.FindNJ.com Eagles on Facebook.

THE NO-HUDDLE SHOW, Ep. 21: DeMarco Murray gets exiled as Eagles get crushed

We"ve said for a few weeks now the Eagles" season would come down to the final two games, and that"s where we are with or without the $42M running back playing. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher.

Source: http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2015/12/scouts_break_down_eagles_vs_washington_redskins.html

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