ITPV » denying Vancouvers desperation though. "Theyre

Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - It didnt take Nostradamus to predict what was going to happen Friday when Roger Goodell finally met the media for his annual state of the league address two days prior to Super Bowl XLIX. The sharks were swimming, lambasting the commissioner for what can only be described as his dismal job performance over the past year, which now has the league he pilots perpetually stuck in the mud. It doesnt matter what the controversy or scandal is these days, Goodells past ineptitude has robbed him of any credibility, and the default setting for most of the general public is to now assume the NFL is going to get it wrong because the guy at the top has proven to be ineffective time and time again. Goodell admitted that the 2014 season, during which hes endured heavy criticism for his handling of a number of league matters -- most notably the domestic violence case involving former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice -- has been a tough year on me personally. Its been a year of humility and learning, he stated. We obviously as an organization have gone through adversity. We take it seriously, Its an opportunity for us to get better. So weve all done a lot of soul searching, starting with yours truly. That lip service has been heard before and didnt stop the onslaught with one reporter asking point blank if there were any set of circumstances that would lead him to resign. To no surprise the guy who gets the $44 million stipend and still has the backing of the only 32 people who really matter -- the NFL owners -- almost laughed it off. No, I cant (imagine resigning), he said. Does that surprise you? It shouldnt take anyone off guard. Lack of self awareness is a tangible Goodell trait as he is seemingly immune to the fact he has become the story. For instance, on the surface Deflategate is about the New England Patriots but no matter the outcome, the result is going to be questioned because the guy in charge is no longer trustworthy. One reporter asked the commissioner if his close relationship with New England owner Robert Kraft could potentially impact the leagues investigation over the Pats use of improperly deflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game. I admire, respect and think very highly of him on a personal level. Theres no hiding from that point, said Goodell of Kraft. Since he knows me so well and knows that Im not going to do anything to compromise the integrity of the league, I think he has no doubt that I will do the right thing. Kraft may have no doubt but plenty of others do. Theres an adage that says if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging but neither the NFL nor Goodell has figured that out. A lot of the concerns that we had back in August where we didnt have a policy that addressed a very complex issue (domestic violence), Goodell said. We didnt have answers for that. We didnt fully understand those issues. Now we have experts in the field. Theyre in our office. Theyre helping us understand this. Talk about disingenuous. First off the league certainly had a personal-conduct policy in place to address those kinds of matters and Goodell used his power to punish Rice poorly. Claiming there was no policy for a complex issue is moving the goal posts to hoodwink the low-information crowd. And perhaps more importantly does anyone other than Goodell really need help understanding what Rice did? On its surface, Goodells dodge-and-parry routine is insulting as is his insistence that a new personal-conduct policy unilaterally approved by the owners without collectively bargaining with the players is some kind of panacea. We set out to create a new personal conduct policy, which was unanimously approved by our 32 owners in December, Goodell said. We made enormous progress. The things we didnt know and where we were in August, are not where we are today. Were in a good place in knowing and learning and having a lot more humility. Trust me, humility is the last adjective most would use to describe Goodell. Hubris is a better one as evidenced by this declarative statement: This is my job. Its my responsibility to protect the integrity of the game, Goodell said. By your own standards, youve failed miserably Mr. Commissioner, and thats why Fridays state of the league address was nothing more than a state of denial. Darius Slayton Giants Jersey . Anor had not scored since getting his first two goals of the season vs. Philadelphia on March 22 but struck with laser precision from distance in the 56th and 75th minutes. Montreal (3-10-5) lost its third straight and Impact coach Frank Klopas said it literally was a case of his players not stepping up. Julian Love Youth Jersey . -- What Anthony Jennings lacked in experience, LSU more than compensated for with a talented supporting cast in the Outback Bowl. http://www.authenticnygiantspro.com/Phil-mcconkey-giants-jersey/ . Louis Blues and back into top spot of the TSN.ca NHL Power Rankings. The Sharks had been ranked No. Oshane Ximines Womens Jersey . The thinking at the time was Clowney could have already been promised he would be selected first overall by the Houston Texans, therefore negating any need to meet with any other teams. The plot took another twist this week. Dalvin Tomlinson Giants Jersey . The Toronto Blue Jays general manager made a series of bold moves that reshaped the club ahead of what would turn out to be a disastrous 2013 campaign.VANCOUVER - Eddie Lack helped the Vancouver Canucks overcome a case of the blues Wednesday night. Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. The win was like sweet music to the Canucks (28-24-9) as they ended their losing streak at seven games while moving into sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference. The Blues (39-13-6) dropped their third straight decision to Vancouver this season as they were shut out for the first time in 2013-14. "It feels very good to be able to shut the door," said Lack. "It was very big for our team. "Its a big relief." The Canucks outshot the Blues 35-20, but Lack, Vancouvers backup who is in his first full NHL season, was forced to make many difficult saves. "I feel like I have been working on this start for a while and I was really excited to play, and Rollie (Melanson, Vancouvers goalie coach) has been bugging me for weeks saying we need to win these 1-0 games, so its huge," said Lack. Jannik Hansen scored the games only goal as he finally broke a scoreless deadlock at 11:13 of the third period. He took a backhand stretch pass from Tom Sestito from deep in the Vancouver zone just past centre ice, raced in on a breakaway and beat Halak with a high shot. It was Hansens first goal in just over a month, a span of eight games, after he last scored Jan. 26 against Phoenix. "Great play by Tommy, he could see I was taking off a little early and he fed me a nice pass, and I was able to get it through the goalie," said Hansen. "You dont have to look at the standings very long to see we need to win a lot of games here to make the playoffs, and its obviously a very strong opponent today, a playoff team. These are the teams you have to beat. We cant just beat the teams below us." Vancouver was blanked on four power plays while St. Louis failed to score on three. Lack drew the start after backstopping the Canucks to a pair of wins over St. Louis earlier this season. Three of his nine wins have come against the Blues, and he has allowed only three goals to them. The Canucks came out with the added aggression that coach John Tortorella has been seeking as they outshot the Blues 14-6 in the first period. But for most of the night, the hosts could not beat a steady Halak, who felt fresh after playing just two games for Slovakia in the Olympics and getting plenty of rest after arriving back in St. Louis last Thursday. "It was a pretty good pace for 60 minutes," said Halak. "It was just that we came up short. We couldnt score. "I tried to do my best. I tried to give the guys a chance to win. Id like to get (Hansens goal) back." St. Louis had nine players iin Sochi and the Canucks had seven.dddddddddddd. But Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who served as an assistant with Canadas gold-medal-winning team, did not think post-Olympic fatigue was a factor. "It was a hard fought, well played game for the most part," said Hitchcock. "I didnt think we had the energy in the third period than we did in the end of the first and the second. We had a great second period. But weve had trouble beating (Lack.) We havent scored on him, and hes made some big saves and hes won a lot of the scrambles. We had all the penetration in the second period for all the scoring chances." Hitchcock lamented his teams inability to score on odd-man rushes in two losses in Vancouver this season. "When you get two-on-ones and three-on-ones on the road, youve got to capitalize," he said. "I think that was the difference in the hockey game." Lacks best moments came late in the second period as he denied Blues captain David Backes on a one-timer during a delayed penalty and Alex Steen on a deflection, and got his pad on a T.J. Oshie shot before defenceman Alex Edler blocked the puck as he attempted to put in the rebound. After the save, fans chanted "Eddie! Eddie!" But Oshie, who played for the U.S. in the Olympics, was not willing to give Lack too much credit. "He made some good saves, but I dont think we really tested him like we could have," said Oshie. "We let him see a lot of pucks." There was no denying Vancouvers desperation though. "Theyre a desperate team right now," said Halak. "For them, every game is a playoff game. They need to get every point that they can." Notes: Olympians from both teams were honoured in a pre-game ceremony. Blues defencemen Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo drew loud cheers from the crowd when they were saluted, along with Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis and goaltender Roberto Luongo, for helping Canada win the 2014 Olympic gold medal. … Tortorella worked his first home game since receiving a six-game suspension for storming the Calgary Flames dressing room area Jan. 18. … Canucks captain Henrik Sedin returned to action after suffering an undisclosed injury before the Olympics. He missed the past two practices while tending to a personal matter in Sweden, but returned Wednesday in time for the game. Defenceman Kevin Bieksa returned after missing five games before the Olympic break with a foot injury. … Vancouver centre Ryan Kesler sat out with a hand injury suffered while playing for the U.S. in the Olympics. Canucks defencemen Chris Tanev (thumb) and Andrew Alberts (concussion) remained out. … Blues defenceman Jordan Leopold missed the game due to an ankle injury. He was replaced by Carlo Colaiacovo. ' ' '