Neues » when Duncan was in his second season, the Spurs re

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Cardinals Jerseys China . -- John Fox swears he hasnt lost confidence in Ronnie Hillman even though the second-year running back has had back-to-back games with fumbles returned for touchdowns. Still, it was rookie Montee Ball who got most of the work Monday with Denvers starters for the first time all summer. "Its just practice," Fox said. "I wouldnt read too much into anything. Were evaluating everybody regardless of who gets what reps at what numbers. Hes a guy that we want to get touches and well go from there." Hillman, a second-year speedster from San Diego State who played sparingly last year, bulked up over the winter and was given first crack at winning the starting job. He fumbled at the goal line in Seattle a week ago, and it was returned 106 yards for the score. A week later, Rams rookie linebacker Alec Ogletree pried the football from his arms after a short catch and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown. After that, Hillman didnt touch the ball and the snaps were shared by Ball, who set an NCAA record with 83 touchdowns at Wisconsin, and former first-round pick Knowshon Moreno. Asked if his promotion Monday was due more to what he was doing right or what Hillman had done wrong, Ball said. "For me, Im looking at it as what Ive done. Ive been consistent. Yeah, Ive made mistakes, but Ive done a great job to not repeat them. Thats what I plan to continue to do." Both Ball and Hillman want to be the featured back in Denvers offence, but with the way Fox has always divvied up carries in his backfield, it might not matter whos the first running back out of the tunnel on Sept. 5 anyway. "Whoever we keep were going to lean on and well play and I think our track record says that," Fox said. Ball hasnt been free of blunders either. He was penalized for covering up the tight end in a formation against St. Louis and also dropped a pass from Peyton Manning because he said he "smelled the end zone." A week earlier, he whiffed on blitzing Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, who drove Manning into the ground just as he released a 31-yard pass to Julius Thomas. "Its the worst feeling as a rookie, seeing a future Hall of Famer get hit like that pretty hard," Ball said. "Thats not a good thing at all and I most definitely got chewed out about it (by running backs coach Eric Studesville) and I knew I couldnt say a word." Despite all his rookie mistakes, Ball said hes ready to start in Week 1. "Yeah, thats been my goal ever since I was drafted," he said. "Thats (everyones) goal in the running back room, to become the starter. For me, every opportunity thrown at me, Im going to make sure I take advantage of it." Gussie Busch Cardinals Jersey . -- Mississippis Andrew Ritter said his game-winning, 41-yard field goal felt good off his foot. St. Louis Cardinals Shirts . Schaub will start for an injured Case Keenum and try to help the Texans end a 12-game skid. Schaubs last action in Houston came when he took over late in a game against Oakland on Nov. 17 as Keenum was struggling. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/ . Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas appeared to be on track to gain election from the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday, and Craig Biggio could join them.SAN ANTONIO -- Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, the winningest trio in NBA post-season history, shared hugs. Players wrapped themselves in flags from around world, a reminder that the San Antonio Spurs look far beyond the border to build champions, as confetti fell from above. Painfully denied 12 months ago by the Miami Heat, this victory party was worth the wait. "It makes last year OK," Duncan said. The Spurs finished off a dominant run to their fifth NBA championship Sunday night, ending the Heats two-year title reign with a 104-87 victory that wrapped up the series in five games. "We had a great first quarter, but from that point on they were the better team, and thats why theyre the champions in 2014," said LeBron James, who led the Heat with 31 points and 10 rebounds. San Antonio erased an early 16-point deficit and routed Miami for the fourth time in the series, denying the Heats quest for a third straight championship. A year after the Spurs suffered their only loss in six finals appearances -- a heartbreaking seven-game defeat -- they turned the rematch into no match at all. "We wanted to redeem ourselves. Im just glad we were able to do that," Parker said. Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who added this title to the ones they won in 1999, 2003, 05 and 07. They nearly had another last year, but couldnt hold off the Heat. "Ive said many times, a day didnt go by where I didnt think about Game 6," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the turning point in last years finals. "So I think, just in general, for the group to have the fortitude that they showed to get back to this spot, I think speaks volumes about how theyre constituted and what kind of fiber they have." Not to mention tons of talent, and perhaps the best coaching in the game. "They played exquisite basketball this series and in particular these last three games and they are the better team. Theres no other way to say it," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. The Spurs won four titles in nine years, but hadnt been back on top since 2007, making Foreigners "Feels Like the First Time" an appropriate song choice after the final buzzer. Duncan and Popovich have been here for all of them, and it was the fourth for Parker and Ginobili, who with Duncan are once aagain the reigning the Big Three in the NBA. Fake Cardinals Jerseys. Chris Bosh finished with 13 points and Dwyane Wade just 11 on 4-of-12 shooting for the Heat. The painful conclusion to last years NBA Finals served as the fuel for this one, powering the Spurs to a league-best 62-win season and a rematch with Miami -- the first in the finals since Chicago beat Utah in 1997-98. Round 2 went to the Spurs, but both teams have challenges to navigate if there is to be a rubber match. San Antonio will face questions -- as it has for years -- about the age of its core, and whether Duncan, Ginobili and Popovich want to stick around. The Heat will brace for the potential free agency of James, Wade and Bosh, and will need younger, fresher pieces around the three All-Stars if they all stay. But this moment belongs to the Spurs. Playing a methodical, albeit winning, style for many years made San Antonio respected, but never beloved. The Spurs were TV ratings killers, casual viewers finding them not much fun to watch. But Popovich opened up the offence a few years ago, making the Spurs an easy-to-like, tough-to-beat group that thrives on ball movement and 3-point shooting. "You showed the world how beautiful this game is," Commissioner Adam Silver told the Spurs during the postgame award ceremony. A decade and a half after winning their first title in 1999, when Duncan was in his second season, the Spurs remain the NBAs model organization, a small-market team that simply wins big and hardly ever does it with a high draft pick. Instead, they found players overseas or in other organizations who would fit the Spurs way of doing things and mesh with the Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, who have teamed for 117 postseason victories. That included Leonard, acquired in a draft-night trade with Indiana after playing at San Diego State, and Patty Mills, an Australian national who scored 17 points off the bench. In the end, the Spurs made winning their fifth title look stunningly easy -- much to the delight of the home crowd. After the slow start, they had their fans standing, chanting and dancing much of the second half. Notes: It was the Spurs 12th win by 15 or more points, most ever in a post-season. The Spurs outscored opponents by 214 points in the post-season. ... Miami had won 11 straight series, tied for the fifth-longest streak in NBA history. ' ' '