Off Topic » anything to rescue Bayern

For a league that already has The Catch and The Drive, this incomplete pass may go down as The Reversal.The Cowboys Dez Bryant appeared to make a spectacular 31-yard catch on fourth down to give Dallas the ball a yard away from the go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes of their 26-21 playoff loss at Green Bay on Sunday.Replays showed Bryant bobbled the ball as he rolled into the end zone, with part of it touching the field. After reviewing the play, officials overturned the call, saying Bryant didnt maintain control all the way to the ground.The rule states:If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.Bryant said there was never a doubt in his mind that he caught the ball.I had possession of the ball coming down. Thats possession, right? One, two, reach, Bryant said. Bam, thats possession.Hours after the game, Bryant tweeted: as I went to the ground I rolled over and I tipped the ball to gain better control. We lost and I accept it but please change that rule.Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said he thought Bryant got his feet down, then made a move common to the game.Dez reached out to the goal line like hes done so many times, Garrett said. Its a signature play for him. He maintained possession of it throughout, in my opinion.Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields said the call was a relief on a play that could have been a touchdown at a critical point.These playoff games come down to the inches. A good call on the refs. He went up for the ball and made a good catch, Shields said.Referee Gene Steratore said a couple camera angles showed the ball hitting the ground, then Bryant losing possession.At the time he lands and the ball hits the ground, it comes loose as it hits the ground, which would make that incomplete, Steratore said. Although he repossesses it, it does contact the ground when he reaches, so the repossession is irrelevant.Athletes, celebrities and others quickly weighed in on the ruling.Odell Beckham Jr., the receiver for the rival Giants who made his share of dazzling catches as a rookie, tweeted: I by no means cheer for Dallas but I have no idea what or how thts not called a catch . Thts a joke.The Detroit Lions also chimed in. Their star receiver, Calvin Johnson, had a similar catch reversed in 2010, and they also were stung last week in the wild-card round against the Cowboys when the officials picked up a flag that would have given them a critical fourth-quarter first down.They tweeted: Sorry @dallascowboys. We know the feeling, with a link to the Megatron play and the hashtag CompletingTheProcess.The NFL has used the Johnson play in explaining the rule to coaches and players.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Air Max 200 Hombre .J. -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is going to start the off-season training program with a surgically repaired left ankle. Air Max 1 Mujer Baratas . PAUL, Minn. http://www.tiendasairmaxbaratas.com/zapa...-270-react.html. According to TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, the deal will pay Schenn $2.25 million in the first year and $2.75 million in the second year. In 82 games with the Flyers in 2013-14, Schenn scored 20 goals and added 21 assists. Nike Air Max 90 Baratas España .Cameron sustained his third concussion in three seasons last week on a hit by Oakland safety Brandion Ross, who was fined $22,050 by the NFL for the helmet-to-helmet blow. Nike Air Max 93 Baratas . The trade deadline is Monday, Mar. 2 at 3pm et/Noon pt. TRADES COMPLETED SINCE OCT. 1, 2014: Feb. 15, 2015 Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: F Olli Jokinen, F Brendan Leipsic, 1st Round Pick (2015) Nashville Predators acquire: D Cody Franson, F Mike Santorelli Feb.PORTLAND, Oregon - The MLS All-Star game was an entertaining affair on Wednesday night at Providence Park in Portland, as the hosts staged a second half comeback to defeat Bayern Munich by a score of 2-1. Goals from the New York Red Bulls Bradley Wright-Phillips and the Los Angeles Galaxys Landon Donovan saw the All-Stars overcome a wonderful Robert Lewandowski first half volley for the Germans. Purists are critical of the All-Star game; they believe that a mid-season fixture can only result in fatigue for the players at best, or injury and a lengthy spell on the sidelines at worst. Yet the game was played at a surprisingly lively pace, as Bayern showed their class early on. Regarded as one of the best club teams in world football, Bayern were excellent in the opening 45 minutes. Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri pulled the strings for Bayern in a central attacking midfield role, while the duo of Lewandowski and the ageless Claudio Pizarro caused havoc with their movement up front. That Bayern were only up 1-0 at the break was down to some desperate defending and heroic goalkeeping from the All-Stars. Wholesale changes at the half for the hosts made the second half a sight to behold. Wright-Phillips, the leading goalscorer in MLS right now, hammered a strike past Tom Starke in the Bayern goal to bring the All-Stars level in the 51st minute before 14-time All-Star Donovan scored the games winner in the 70th minute, latching on to a Diego Valeri cross before calmly beating substitute – and German World Cup winner – Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal. The game even had a bit of bite to it in the second half, as Osvaldo Alonso and Canadian international Will Johnson made their presence felt in midfield, putting in the requisite crunching tackles that we have come to expect from both players. Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola was not a happy man at the final whistle – iin part because of the rough treatment his star players came in for in the second half but also, Im sure, because he simply hates losing, regardless of the "friendliness" of the competition.dddddddddddd It was a highly entertaining match in front of a raucous crowd – if youve never been to watch a game in Portland, put it on your bucket list because you wont regret it – but it would be foolish to draw any sweeping conclusions about the state of the game in North America from one result. Pre-season training is for players to find their form and fitness, and Bayern Munichs objective in this game was entirely different to the All-Stars. A glance at the Bayern bench in the first half showed just what a stunning wealth of talent Guardiola has at his disposal. World Cup winners like Neuer, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Müller, Jerome Boateng, Philipp Lahm and Mario Götze all entered the match in the second half for a short appearance, as did Dutch star Arjen Robben. Their brief cameos delighted the sellout crowd more than they did anything to rescue Bayern from defeat. The All-Stars looked a reasonably cohesive bunch – something that cannot always be said for such squads. Far too often, players in such games look like they have only just met, which is often the truth. Credit has to go to All-Star head coach Caleb Porter for scrambling together a simple, yet effective, game plan on such short notice. For the purists, dont expect this game (or the midseason "friendly" that is popular with MLS clubs) to go away any time soon. MLS is still in its infancy as a league, and the general consensus is that such games are growing the awareness of MLS around the world. My advice to you is to do what Luke Wileman and I did on Wednesday night – sit back, enjoy the ride and marvel at the talents of some world-class players on display. ' ' '