Kritik und Anregungen » zone to push their lead to 10-0

RIO DE JANEIRO -- In the midst of arguably their finest team performance in a quadrennium, a familiar nemesis provided the U.S. mens gymnastics team with a reminder that nothing comes easily.Especially on pommel horse. Especially at the Olympics.While having Chris Brooks and Sam Mikulak go spinning off pommels removed some of the sparkle of an occasionally spectacular Saturday during Olympic preliminaries, it also offered a reality check. As solid as the score of 270.405 points was -- second only to two-time defending champion China -- the Americans know it can be better during Mondays team finals.We just want to keep building momentum, Mikulak said. I think thats what today was, getting comfortable on the equipment and making a little bit of a statement. Hopefully that statement will carry over and we can carry that momentum to Monday.Four years ago in London, the Americans dominated qualifying only to slide to fifth with a medal on the line, a fall kickstarted by a forgettable set on pommels. China, which slogged to sixth in prelims, rebounded all the way to the top of the podium.Its a painful memory that remains fresh for the five men on Team USA, all of whom were involved on the 2012 team in some capacity. This group, they insist, is not that group. Theyre older. Wiser. And not so caught up in their own hype.We were just so pumped up about everything we might have just believed in ourselves that we might have already proven ourselves, Mikulak said. This time we all know thats not what were going to do. ... What happened today doesnt matter on Monday.Russia, Japan, Britain, Brazil, Ukraine and Germany all advanced to the eight-team final, though the sometimes giddy atmosphere -- punctuated by host Brazils euphoric breakthrough in front of a raucous home crowd during the opening session -- was tempered by sobering reminders of the sports ever present danger.French gymnast Samir Ait Said broke his left leg while trying to land a vault, the crack of the bone shattering upon impact with the mat echoing throughout the arena and the shocking images of Said holding it in his hands instantly going viral.It is catastrophic, French teammate Cyril Tommasone said.Andreas Tobas right knee buckled during his floor routine. While the German managed to compete on pommels, he watched the rest of qualifying in sweat pants with his right leg ramrod straight in a brace, his Olympics over.I cried like a little kid, Toba said. The injury on my knee is big, but the emotional injury is way bigger.Japans missteps were far less painful but nearly as startling. Nine months ago after ending Chinas long run at the top by surging to gold at the world championships, the Japanese looked a bit overcome by the stage at Rio Olympic Arena.Even typically poised and ever elegant defending Olympic champion Kohei Uchimura wasnt immune to the pressure.Looking for a gold medal to bookend the one he captured in London, he went sailing off the high bar -- an event where he is the reigning world champion -- and smacked onto the ground in shock. The miscue means hell miss the event final. It also cost him the top qualifying score in the all-around. Uchimuras score of 90.498 was second to Ukraines Oleg Verniaiev, one of the rare times Uchimura hasnt found himself looking down at the rest of the field.The scores will be reset in the individual all-around next Wednesday, though Uchimura is more concerned about getting his team mentally prepared for Monday night.We try to perform like the world championships, Uchimura said. But we know this is the Olympic Games and this makes us stressed out.The stress didnt get to China, which downplayed Japans rise at worlds and promised to be ready by Rio. The Chinese posted the top scores on parallel bars and still rings, their three near flawless sets on rings in the final rotation giving them just enough to edge the Americans.China delivering in the clutch is hardly new. It is new in Brazil, which made the team final for the first time, fueled by an arena that roared with every stuck landing.The highlight came during three-time Olympic veteran Diego Hypolitos floor exercise. After falling in the 2008 floor final and failing to make the event final in 2012 after a similar mistake, tears streamed down the 30-year-old Brazilians face after posting a 15.5, good enough for a spot in the floor final later in the games. Yet the tears were not for his score as much for his country.This was important for Brazil, it was about the team, Hypolito said. Ive been to three Olympics. This is something weve thought about for a long time. To perform like this, its a dream. Billige Air Max . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. Kjøpe Air Max . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. http://www.airmaxnorge.com/ . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Air Max Norge Nettbutikk . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. Air Max Billig . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. On Sunday,?Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton?made it clear he is unhappy with the way he has been officiated, and the numbers prove he has a point. Newton hasnt drawn an accepted roughing the passer penalty since the 2014 season, according to ESPN Stats & Information data. And while Newton is the most contacted quarterback in the NFL over the past two seasons because of designed runs and scrambles, he isnt even getting the calls when hes a traditional passer.Newton has endured 59 hits inside the pocket over the past 1? seasons, the ninth-highest number in the league. And yet, notable quarterbacks who have been hit a similar number of times have gotten far more calls over that span --?Drew Brees (10 roughing the passer calls), Tom Brady (five), Jameis Winston (five),?Aaron Rodgers (four),?Russell Wilson (three) and Matt Ryan (two).Sure, some quarterbacks such as Brady, Rodgers and Winston?will embellish these hits and sell the penalty on contact. Thats part of the act. But similar to?Andrew Luck and Ben Roethlisberger, Newtons rare size for the position (hes listed at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds) often leads to officials treating him less like a quarterback when hes inside the pocket.?Need proof? Lets look at some examples of roughing calls that were blatantly missed on Newton and compare those hits to some that were flagged with a few of the top names at the position.Blow to the head/neck inside of the pocketIn the Week 1 opener versus the Denver Broncos, Newton took some serious hits from Wade Phillips defense. And that did create some conversation about how the league can do more to protect Newton when he is inside of the pocket.Again, Im not talking about designed runs or scrambles. When Newton tucks the ball down, he knows he wont get any special treatment from the officials. But when he is dropping back to pass, Newton should be officiated the same as any other quarterback, with an emphasis on protecting passers from late hits and blows to the head/neck area.?Heres an example from that Week 1 matchup with Broncos outside linebacker?Shaquil Barrett contacting Newtons helmet after the ball was released:With Barrett following through to rake down on the arm of Newton (a technique taught to pass-rushers at every level), he makes contact to the side of the helmet. By rule, that should be called. What really stands out from this play? With referee Gene Steratore in clean view of the contact, Barrett is still permitted to wrangle Newtons neck, with no flag being thrown.The comp: Tom BradyLets take a look at how officials treated Brady in Week 3 last season, when?the quarterbacks helmet/face mask gets contacted on an inside the pocket throw:Jaguars defensive lineman Jared Odrick?is running an?inside pressure stunt here. And like all defenders, hes taught to get a hand up when you cant get home to the quarterback. That still creates an opportunity to disrupt the throw or to bat the ball down. However, Odrick follows through and makes contact to Bradys helmet/face mask. Thats football, but its still a clear violation of the rules. And, unlike Newton, Brady gets the call.Hit below the kneesWhen quarterbacks plant their front foot to throw, they have to be protected. We are talking about serious knee and ankle injuries when defenders go low on contact or chop down through the thigh boards of quarterbacks in the pocket.?This rule is in place for a reason.During the Panthers Week 8 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Newton took a shot below the knees from Calais Campbell that looked nasty -- and illegal -- in real time. This is the hit that had Newton so riled up after the game:When we watch this play again, two things are clear: Campbell was not pushed into Newton by a blocker, which would have negated a penalty; and Campbell goes below the knees on contact. That puts Newton in an adverse position when he releases the ball. Think of the stress being put on his knee when he is folded back. As the quarterback said after the game: I could have torn an ACL. That was the breaking point for me. This was an easy call to make, and the officials whiffed again.ddddddddddddhe comp: Aaron RodgersIn Week 10 of the 2015 season, Rodgers took almost the same hit from Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. Take a look:The initial contact from Ansah is a little higher when compared with Campbell, but we are seeing the same action on the wrap/finish from the Lions defensive end. And just like Newton, Rodgers is in a position where his knee/ankle is at risk. He gets folded under and is lucky to escape without a busted-up knee. But the difference here is that Rodgers gets the call, as he should, according to the rules.Helmet to the chestWeve all seen quarterbacks get calls that straddle the line between legal and illegal. And as a former defensive player, I always felt quarterbacks would, more often than not, get the benefit of the doubt. The hit below -- levied last season by former Giants defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins?on Newton -- falls within that grey area. Personally, I think this is good football and a legal blow. Jenkins avoided contact to the quarterbacks head/neck and used his pads to deliver a blow to Newtons shoulder/midsection:A big hit? No doubt. Jenkins does drop the crown of his helmet a bit on contact, but with Newton opening his chest to throw the ball, the Giants defensive tackle is in the proper position to deliver a shot to the target zone.But you and I both know that a ton of quarterbacks of Newtons stature get borderline calls like this, especially ones that look so violent at full speed.The comp: Russell WilsonLast season, Wilson took a shot from Rams defensive end Robert Quinn?in the season-opener that was in that same grey area:You could argue that Quinn is too high on contact, but he is targeting the shoulder pad of Wilson as the quarterback releases the ball. I see this as a clean hit, with a wrap on contact. But as we so often see, Wilson gets the superstar treatment from the official watching on. Quinn gets dinged for roughing the passer on a hit that looked pretty similar to the one Newton took versus the Giants.Helmet-to-helmet contactIn todays league, helmet-to-helmet contact is almost an automatic call. We see it every Sunday with wide receivers and defensive backs on throws in the middle of the field. Defenders have been forced to adjust and lower the target zone.The helmet-to-helmet emphasis usually gets ratcheted up to another level when a quarterback is on the other end of the blow. But Newton got no such treatment on this?Von Miller?strip/sack in Super Bowl 50:Miller wins on the edge and has a clear path to Newton. But instead of lowering his target zone and going for the strip, Miller leads with his helmet and makes clear contact to the head of Newton. In real time, I didnt really notice it given the magnitude of this play. Miller gets the ball out, and the Broncos recover it in the end zone to push their lead to 10-0 over the Panthers in the first quarter. Its a heck of an all-around play from Miller to win off the edge and get the ball out. But when we go back and focus on how the league is officiating Newton, this is a bad miss for the league on the games biggest stage.The comp: Aaron RodgersIn Week 15 last season, Rodgers took a helmet-to-helmet shot from Cardinals defensive back Jerraud Powers. The crown of the helmet drops and Powers make contact with Rodgers headgear/face mask:With Rodgers helmet coming off at the end of his play, the refs are going to throw the flag. Even without seeing the initial hit, that sight alone is going to draw a penalty on Powers. But this goes back to the discussion on Newton. We can say that the Powers hit is more violent, and he catches some of the face mask on contact. Maybe that makes is a more clear call for the refs before the Packers quarterback loses his lid on the turf. But as Rodgers gets another call, Newton is left to wonder why the league isnt giving him the same protection as the rest of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. ' ' '