A hockey anecdote to kick off a football column, if you will. A few years back, after the Ottawa Senators had just completed the best season in their modern history, finishing three wins short of winning the Stanley Cup, after which they introduced new head coach John Paddock as the man entrusted to help them take that final step. “This is the best job in hockey,” Paddock pronounced when he was introduced. And with a young and star-studded lineup, Paddock no doubt felt fortunate that his long wait for another chance at being an NHL head coach had come with a team so close to the top of the mountain. Of course there was another way to look at the job Paddock was taking, that it was the toughest job in hockey since there was a whole lot more room to move down in the standings than up. And down the Senators went amid lofty expectations. Paddock was fired late in his first season and Ottawa subsequently was blown out of the first round of playoffs in four games straight. Such a story might ring familiar for a certain head coach in the CFL right now, the one who is no doubt feeling the pressure of an 0-2 start with a team that had narrowly fallen short of the Grey Cup for two years in a row before he arrived. ‘ Greg Marshall was a quality defensive coach in the CFL for almost two decades but had never been able to snag a head coaching opportunity. That changed when former Roughriders head coach Ken Miller stepped down from one of the highest pressure jobs in the CFL, moving into the front office and anointing Marshall as his successor. (Q - What are the three highest pressure jobs in Saskatchewan? A - Premier of the province, coach of the Roughriders and quarterback of the Roughriders.) But given the unprecedented run of success for Saskatchewan in recent years, with three trips to the Grey Cup in four years, record attendance and football mania throughout the province, there figured to be little patience for a step backwards. And so an 0-2 start at home by a combined margin of 28 points has gone over about as well as snowstorm in July. And with road games ahead in three of the next four weeks, theres already concern the Riders could dig themselves into a substantial hole well before Labour Day. To be fair to Marshall, there is ample evidence that the Roughriders were far from a dominant team by the end of last season despite ending up in the Grey Cup. A pair of playoff wins over B.C. and Calgary helped bury the fact that Saskatchewan entered the final week of the 2010 regular season on a four-game losing streak, which they managed to snap at home against an Edmonton Eskimo team that was about to be blown-up into little pieces in the weeks ahead. The loss of Andy Fantuz, the CFLs top Canadian and leading receiver, is as damaging a departure as any team can sustain, and the season-ending injury to Rob Bagg, another playmaking Canadian pass catcher, isnt far behind. Without Brent Hawkins at defensive end, another injury casualty, the Riders dont have a proven pass-rushing threat (remember the days of John Chick and Stevie Baggs back in 09) and the secondary hasnt shown its good enough to cover when the Riders try and blitz to bring pressure. To make matters worse, the Riders are not an overly youthful team, a factor that could come into play as the season progresses and injuries begin to mount. Rider GM Brendan Taman is understandably feeling the heat these days but its worth noting that the top front office decision-maker on football is Miller. There have been lots of great coaches whove moved upstairs and failed to find the same success they enjoyed on the sidelines - Ron Lancaster and Bill Parcells being just two examples from both sides of the border - and the jury remains out on Millers move. If the optics of an early-season Roughrider freefall werent tough enough to swallow in Saskatchewan, it just so happens that the feel-good story of the CFL so far this season is in Edmonton. That would be the green-and-gold team where the head coach is former Roughrider special teams co-ordinator Kavis Reed, the offensive co-ordinator is former Saskatchewan quarterback and quarterback coach Marcus Crandell and the general manager, Eric Tillman, was the top guy in Saskatchewan from 06 until his forced resignation in January 10. Greg Marshall certainly knew what he was getting into in Saskatchewan. And having been denied so often in other coaching searches, he wasnt about to turn down an opportunity to lead the Roughriders. But there certainly have been easier circumstances into which one has launched a head coaching career. wholesale nfl jerseys . Headlining the group is 2013 Columbus Blue Jackets first-round draft pick Marko Dano. He is joined by three others drafted by NHL clubs, including Montreal Canadiens prospect Martin Reway. The three draftees eclipses by one the amount named to the selection camp by the rival Czech Republic. nfl jerseys china . Unfortunately for the Canadians, so did opposing goaltender Tobias Stephan. Stephan made 50 saves and HC Geneve-Servette capitalized on its chances in a 6-5 semifinal win over defending champion Canada. http://www.cheapnfljerseys2015.us.co... . -- Isaiah Pead took a stutter step forward, then raced to the left sideline and travelled 60 yards up the field before finally getting tripped up by a leg tackle. [url=http://www.cheapnfljerseys2015.us.com/]wholesale jerseys . Murphy, who spent the past seven seasons with the Texas Rangers, must pass a physical before the deal can be completed, the person told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. cheap jerseys . -- San Francisco nose tackle Ian Williams is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a broken left ankle.Each week, TSN.ca Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen, NFL Editor Ben Fisher, and Isaac Owusu discuss three hot fantasy football topics. How good could Josh Gordon be matched with a competent quarterback? Cullen: Considering how well Gordon is playing with mediocre quarterbacks, its not unreasonable to think that he would be the most productive receiver in football if given a top-tier starting quarterback but, the truth is, Gordon is not that far off as it is. Gordon is already averaging a league-leading 124.9 receiving yards per game and his 19.5 yards per catch ranks second only to the Saints Kenny Stills (20.6), who is strictly a deep threat. Gordon catches a higher percentage of his targets (64 of 113 – 56.6%) than Detroits Calvin Johnson (72 for 132 – 54.5%), who holds the title as the leagues best wide receiver now so the only thing that would really work in his favour with a better quarterback might be more opportunities to score. Fisher: Gordon is the second-leading fantasy receiver despite missing the first two games to injury so theres not much room for improvement. The former second round supplemental pick gets thrown to a lot in Cleveland; with a better QB comes also a better offence so Gordon could conceivably see his targets decrease, but that better offence would also lend to more scoring opportunities. Ill stop short of putting Gordon on Megatrons level just yet, but teams are definitely kicking themselves for not pulling the trigger when the Browns made Gordon available earlier this season. The guy is a stud regardless of whos throwing him the ball Owusu: Without question, Josh Gordon has moved himself into high WR1 status. His fortune has come simply by being the only dependable option in an offense that has no choice but to throw the ball. Going into next season Gordon will be viewed as what Brandon Marshall, Julio Jones and A.J Green were heading into this year, another party in the battle for who will be the second best receiver in fantasy, behind Calvin Johnson, who is in a tier of his own. Considering that the Browns best RB option is either probably Chris Ogbonnaya or Willis McGahee, and the team has had three barely average quarterbacks passing Gordon the ball with all the defensive attention placed on him, he has played out of his mind. Like a true WR1, Gordon is matchup-proof a target machine. If the Browns can pair him up with a decent passer on a full-time basis Gordon should be the second WR drafted next year in fantasy based on the fact that there really just isnt a major weapon in that offense that could bite into his production like Marshall, Jones and Green have to deal with. Can Nick Foles be a future Top 5 fantasy QB? Cullen: Top five is too high for me. For one thing, hes not going to forever throw touchdown passes without ever throwing an interception, but if we presume that Foles becomes more comfortable with more reps as the Eagles starter, I can buy him as a consistent fantasy starter. Maybe, as the older guys – Manning, Brady, Brees (even Romo and Roethlisberger too) – either slow down or move on, maybe Foles could creep into the Top Five at that point, but I guess you could say that I like, instead of love, Foles. Fisher: Foles average numbers this season would have him ranked among the best fantasy QBs this season and hes being mentioned as finalist for Peyton p;Mannings MVP award this year.dddddddddddd His numbers suggest hes a Top 5 at least, but can he be trusted to continue putting up these numbers on a consistent basis? I dont think Foles will be susceptible to the same “sophomore slump” as other second-year starters because theres nothing too revolutionary about his game that defences will eventually adjust to. Still, theres a few too many QBs I trust more than Foles (Manning, Brady, Rodgers…) to make him a Top 5 right away. Id be comfortable picking him as a QB1 next year however. Owusu: Yes! It appears that Nick Foles has finally gained that vote of confidence from head coach Chip Kelly, and that goes a long way. Foles plays in an offence that is spoiled with riches: tons of weapons, a dangerous running back an aggressive coach, and they play in the NFC East! the perfect recipe for quarterbacking success. Since taking over as Philadelphia Eagles starter, Foles has launched the ball vertically downfield at a ridiculous rate, in fact hes tied for second with Drew Brees in 40 yard pass completions with 11, only behind Peyton Mannings 12. Its all crazy considering that Foles only has 6 starts this season and zero interceptions. Foles consistency and grasp of the Eagles offence makes it apparent that hes poised to join the tier of top 5 fantasy QBs consisting of Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Which rookie runner have you been more impressed by: Eddie Lacy or LeVeon Bell? Cullen: Im going with Lacy, though Aaron Rodgers recent absence shows just how much respect for the Packers passing game helped Lacy churn out yards earlier in the year. Generally, Ive been a little down on Bell because he averages only 3.3 yards per carry, but he augments his rushing totals with some decent receiving numbers (33 REC, 319 YDS). Some of that is obviously due to a subpar Pittsburgh offensive line and the circumstances surrounding each back makes it a closer call, but I still side with Lacy. Fisher: This is a tossup. Lacy and Bell have near identical average numbers in both scores and total yards. Lacy has averaged more yards on the ground but Bell makes up for it through the air. But while the two are near identical now I think Bell will finish the season with the better average numbers. Lacy will struggle along with the rest of the Packers offence while Aaron Rodgers recovers from his shoulder injury and Bell is the slightly better option in PPR leagues. Owusu: Its been fairly close, but between the two of them Lacy has showed that he is the guy youd want to have as your RB1 in all formats. Bell is solid and does contribute in the Steelers offense but his role on his team is not as prominent as Lacys. Its been clear all season that Mike McCarthy wants to ease the workload from Aaron Rodgers, (or whoever else is tossing the ball around for Green Bay) and Lacy has responded well to the call. Consistency and usage are what make an RB1 valuable, and for Lacy, in 7/11 games that he played, hes amassed at least 20+ rush attempts, while Bell only has 2/9 games where hes actually gone for over 20+ carries. Lacy also already has three 100-yard rushing games, to Bells zero. Both RBs have been steady with their production but Lacy has shown that the design of the Packers offense has called for more production out of him and he has delivered. cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '