passionate and feisty football associated with

NEW ORLEANS - Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers proved they can still summon the type of competent, passionate and feisty football associated with teams pushing for post-season berths.After six straight mistake-filled losses, Carolina could not afford to wait any longer than its trip to the Big Easy to make piling up yards and points look — well — easy again.Newton passed for three touchdowns, incited a scuffle after soaring over the pile for another score and let running back Jonathan Stewart do the rest in a 41-10 rout of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.When you execute like that, its fun to watch. And when you dont, its hard to watch, said Newton, who was an efficient 21-of-33 for 226 yards with no interceptions and no sacks.The victory pulled Carolina (4-8-1) closer to NFC South Division leader Atlanta (5-7), which plays Monday night at Green Bay.Newton also scrambled for 83 yards and Stewart rushed for 155 yards on 20 carries, highlighted by his 69-yard run that made it 31-3 early in the third quarter.When the offensive line is playing as well as they did today, and our running backs are running like they were, and our guys are catching the ball like they were, its hard to lose, Newton said.For Saints coach Sean Payton, it was hard to watch as New Orleans (5-8) lost its fourth straight home game to fall a half-game behind the Falcons.Obviously, thats embarrassing — how we played, how we coached. You pick an area, you pick a phase and it was awful, Payton said. It couldnt have started any worse and couldnt have finished any worse.The Panthers scored an NFL-low 30 first-quarter points during their first 12 games combined. Against New Orleans, Carolina scored on its opening series for only the second time on Kelvin Benjamins 9-yard touchdown catch. The Panthers wound up scoring 17 points before 9 minutes had elapsed, thanks in no small part to Saints turnovers.Mark Ingrams fumble on the New Orleans 25 led to a field goal. Bene Benwikeres interception of Drew Brees led to Newtons rushing TD, which in turn led to a brief melee behind the end zone.Newton was jawing with defensive end Cam Jordan, then linebacker Curtis Lofton shoved Newton just as the quarterback broke into his Superman celebration. The scrum that ensued burst through a closed gate behind the goal post and spilled into a tunnel.Tight end Brandon Williams was ejected for punching Jordan.Newton said the scuffle resulted from a lot of testosterone on that field at one time.Lofton, who was penalized but not ejected, said he didnt regret his shove and was not going to stand for what he viewed as Newton was taunting Jordan.Some more things to know about Carolinas demolition of the Saints:NEWTONS TURNAROUND: During Carolinas six-game skid, Newton threw nine interceptions and just six touchdown passes, and was sacked 25 times. Against the Saints, he had his fourth career game with at least 200 yards passing, multiple touchdown passes, 80-plus yards rushing and a touchdown run. Only two other players have done that multiple times. Michael Vick and Russell Wilson each have done it twice.STAGNANT SAINTS: Saints quarterback Drew Brees 235 yards passing and completion rate of 59.2 per cent were both season lows. The Saints were also held under 100 yards rushing for only the third time this season.BIG GAINS: Carolina gained 271 yards rushing and its 497 total yards were a season high, as were its 41 points. Newtons other touchdown passes went for 16 yards to tight end Greg Olsen and 26 yards to running back Fozzy Whittaker.We have got to keep this formula going. This is who we are and this is what we are good at, Olsen said. We had good rhythm and a good mix of pass and run.DISHEARTENED Defence: The Saints entered the game second-to-last in the NFL in yards allowed, only to see their average yards allowed ruse from 390.5 to 398.7 — still slightly better than Atlantas average of 403.2.PLAYOFF PICTURE: Despite losing four of five games, the Saints will remain tied for first place in the NFC South if Atlanta losses to the Packers on Monday night. Carolina, meanwhile, would sit a half game behind both the Saints and Falcons. If the Falcons upset Green Bay, theyll take a one-game lead, but still must play in New Orleans on Dec. 21.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Quinnen Williams Jersey . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night. Wayne Chrebet Jersey . The 41-year-old Northern Irishman has proved a perfect fit at Liverpool since taking over from Kenny Dalglish in the summer of 2012 and steered the team to an unexpected title challenge in the Premier League last season. http://www.cheapnewyorkjetsjerseysauthentic.com/ . If there is one club built to handle an off-field controversy, its the Bill Belichick era Patriots. Even if New Englands offence stumbles a bit out of the gate, their defence can help them stay in games, especially in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in the first two weeks. Cheap Jets Jerseys . 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Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life.MINNEAPOLIS - In the throes of a sometimes-contentious negotiation on a contract extension with the Timberwolves, Ricky Rubio sat down at a table and started to recount the reasons he wanted to stay in Minnesota.His first three seasons were filled with disappointment, injuries and losses, and the Wolves had recently traded the only established star they have had since Kevin Garnett. Kevin Love, who turned so many of Rubios nifty passes into assists, was gone to Cleveland, leaving the point guard behind with a roster in flux.But there was something about the crown jewel of the three-player package the Wolves got in return for Love; something about the way 19-year-old Andrew Wiggins carried himself under a spotlight that has blinded so many others; something in the way he moved in practice that told Rubio everything eventually was going to be OK.He always looks like hes going in slow motion while everyone around him is moving 100 miles per hour, Rubio said on that October night before the season began. Hes going to be great.Wiggins isnt there yet and everything is not OK in Minnesota. But three months into his rookie season, and a month before he turns 20, the No. 1 overall draft pick is starting to give the Timberwolves and their beleaguered fans hope that all these losses, all these growing pains, will eventually be worth it.Wiggins leads all rookies in minutes, scoring and free throw attempts and has won Western Conference rookie of the month honours in each of the first two months of the season, with a third likely on the way.I would say theres been a lot of growing pains, a lot of stuff were learning to get better at, Wiggins said. I feel like all the young people, were getting better every game, every situation we have.After an underwhelming start to his career that renewed concerns about his willingness to consistently play hard, Wiggins has flourished while injuries to Rubio, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic thrust him into a featured role. He has scored in double figures in 19 straight games — averaging 19.4 points on 47.4 per cent shooting in 37.6 minutes in that span — and completely separated himself from the rest of the rookie class through the first half of the season.Hes above where we thought he would be, coach Flip Saunders said.dddddddddddd There have not been very many rookies that have gone through a 15-game stretch where theyre averaging 21 a game and been in a situation where theyre taking the other teams best defensive player and playing both ends of the floor.The Timberwolves are on track to miss the playoffs for an 11th straight season, the longest active streak in the league. All the injuries have contributed to an 8-37 record, the worst mark in the league. But it has also forced Wiggins hand to a positive degree.A player who was called passive at times in his one season at Kansas and whose quiet demeanour in interviews has led to questions about his motor has brushed all of that aside and embraced the role of a go-to guy — on both ends of the floor. Wiggins is nightly asked to guard the opponents best perimeter player, and hes had success against the likes of Russell Westbrook (7 for 22), James Harden (8 for 23) and Eric Bledsoe (7 for 17).Wiggins really started to kick things into gear when the Wolves visited the Cavaliers for the first time on Dec. 23. He scored 27 points and played with the aggressiveness his coaches and teammates were demanding of him.I did have a little hop in my step because it was the team that traded him, Wiggins said.Truth be told, Wiggins welcomed the move to Minnesota. He knows that in Cleveland he would have been the third or fourth option on most nights, deferring to LeBron James and Kyrie Irving on a team with championship aspirations that didnt have time for a teenager to learn on the job.He never would have had the opportunity to carry an offence this soon, and his development should only hasten when Rubio returns from his ankle injury.I know its frustrating for fans and coaches and everyone, the losses and what weve done, Saunders said. But were going to reap the benefits. It might not be until next year when you really reap the benefits.The young Wolves get the Cavs on their home floor on Saturday night, and the crowd is expected to give Love plenty of grief for orchestrating his exit last summer. But if Wiggins can be the dynamic player many think he can be and help pull the Wolves out of the NBA abyss, maybe the crowd should offer a more pragmatic response: Thank you. 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