Hey, grow up!Signs of maturity in an NFL team usually mean it has a chance to achieve something special. Solid clock management. Few penalties, and none when a game is on the line. Honest and insightful sideline conversations.Simply going about business the right way.Sure, talent is an overriding factor in any teams success. But its rarely the sole decider, which is why getting hot in the playoffs often works. Over the last decade, were the 2005 Steelers, 2007 Giants, 2008 Cardinals, 2010 Packers, 2011 Giants or 2012 Ravens the most skilled?Probably not.They were, however, the most together. And thats all about maturity.I think youre always striving to be a mature team, says Dallas coach Jason Garrett, whose Cowboys are an excellent case in point. Theyve had every opportunity to fall apart late in several games this season that they pulled out, including a benchmark victory at Seattle. I do think we have mature guys on our team. They might not be quite as experienced.I think whenever we think about bringing a player in here, we talk a lot about the makeup of the player. That has everything to do with who they are as a person and the kind of people they are, maybe as much as it has to do with the kind of player they are. I do think that even though we are inexperienced, I do think theres a sense of maturity. We value that. I think thats important in this league, going back to work the right way every day and then handling the different situations that come up.How teams react to adversity is a true measure of maturity. Look at the Cardinals, a team ravaged by injuries throughout the roster. Such key players as Larry Fitzgerald, Darnell Dockett and Carson Palmer, to touch only the top of the iceberg, have been sidelined.Yet Arizona shows no sign of panic, and its only defeats in a 9-2 season have been on the road to last Februarys Super Bowl participants.That stems from Bruce Arians, whose coaching acumen has turned a once-mediocre group into a force.You cant win enough games early, and you better win late he says. Thats why you play 16 of them. I think when you peak, you get momentum and you just ride it, and weve been riding it pretty good. We got knocked off the horse, so figure out why, get back on and lets go.That is exactly what a mature group does.Another team that is growing in stature and reliability is Green Bay. The Packers can be maddeningly inconsistent on the road and overwhelming at home. But they showed in last Sundays victory at Minnesota — often a depressing if short road trip for them — that they might have taken another big step.The league is about adjustments, Aaron Rodgers says. You have to be able to make adjustments within a game and at halftime. When you get out there you have to be able to react and trust the things you worked on in practice and done throughout the year.Yep, consistency is a key. Just look at the Patriots, who other than a select few led by Tom Brady have had a changing cast throughout their 14 seasons of success. But the approach remains the same.Elsewhere — look way down in the standings — comes evidence that maturity hasnt struck. So many of this seasons losing teams have no true identity.Or the identity they have isnt one they want.One place many felt that situation would change was Washington under new coach Jay Gruden. Yet, this weeks decision to bench Robert Griffin III for Colt McCoy further emphasizes a level of dysfunction in the nations capital that critics usually claim is the province of Capitol Hill.Another is Tampa Bay, where veteran Lovie Smith took over a floundering and maladjusted roster and locker room. A success in charge of the Bears and considered a players coach, Smith has had little positive effect on the standings or the performances by the Bucs.It got so bad recently that defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, the teams best player, said: This is a very undisciplined team, probably the worst Ive ever been on as a unit.Perhaps the best example of a lack of maturity came in a weak teams win: The comical display by Raiders linebackers Sio Moore and Khalil Mack in the final moment of Oaklands only win, against Kansas City. The duo wildly celebrated a sack with an elaborate dance and handshake well behind the line of scrimmage — even though the Chiefs still had the ball. If not for defensive end Justin Tuck, a 10-year vet, calling a timeout, who knows if the Raiders would have gotten their first victory in more than a calendar year?I dont chuckle over it, no, no, no, interim coach Tony Sparano said. I dont chuckle over it. I can just imagine what the headline would be today, so I dont chuckle over it.That headline might well have been: Hey, Grow Up!___AP Sports Writers Josh Dubow, Bob Baum and Schuyler Dixon contributed to this story.___AP NFL website:
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www.twitter.com/AP_NFL .Y. -- First, Patrick Kane gave his family and friends something to cheer about by scoring a highlight-reel goal in a rare trip home to Buffalo on Sunday night. .com) - Thursday marks the official debut of a new dirt racing surface at Meydan Racecourse.
http://www.cheappackersjerseysonline.co ... sey-online. -- John Fox will coach the Denver Broncos from the sideline and not the booth upon his return Sunday five weeks after heart surgery. . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, it doesnt appear the offer was warmly received by the team. Blue Jackets director of hockey operations John Davidson and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said on Wednesday the team has made offers of $6 million for two years, $32 million for six and $46 million over eight years but each one was refused by the restricted free agent centre and agent Kurt Overhardt. . Hamilton signed offensive linemen Mike Filer, Joel Reinders, Landon Rice and Carson Rockhill.(SportsNetwork.com) - Coming off last nights setback to the Minnesota Wild, the Winnipeg Jets look to get back on track when they host the well-rested Dallas Stars tonight. Viewers in the Jets region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 6:30pm ct/7:30pm et. The game is also available on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg. Matt Cooke netted the winner against teh Jets, helping the Wild grab two points on home ice against its new Central Division rival. Bryan Little scored the lone goal for the Jets and Ondrej Pavelec made 28 saves in a losing effort. It was the second straight loss for Winnipeg, which began its 2013-14 schedule with consecutive wins against Edmonton and Los Angeles only to lose the last two versus Anaheim and the Wild. "We chased pretty much the whole night and never created very much through the neutral zone," Jets head coach Claude Noel said. Although Winnipeg is 1-1-0 on the road and at home this season, the club should be happy its kicking off a six-game homestand on Friday. The Jets were 13-10-1 at MTS Centre last season, while going a respectable 11-11-2 on the road. The Jets also will host New Jersey, Montreal, St. Louis, Nashville and Washington during this residency. The Stars emerge from a five-day hiatus when they visit the MTS Centre. The Stars are 1-1-0 on the season, opening with consecutive home games on Oct. 3 and 5, respectively, before getting some time off. After beating the Washington Capitals by a 2-1 score on Saturday, Dallas had five whhole days to rest before kicking off a three-game road trip tonight in Winnipeg.dddddddddddd Fridays tilt against the Jets also begins a stretch of five road tests in six games for the Stars, who had identical 11-11-2 records at home and on the road last season. "Now we get to get up and running, play on a consistent basis," said Stars head coach Lindy Ruff, who is in his first season behind the Dallas bench. "We get to try to find our groove, find our game and really find out about each other as a team." Ruff, the former longtime head coach of the Buffalo Sabres, earned his first win as Dallas bench boss last Saturday. Alex Chiassons second-period tally proved to be the difference, as the Stars downed the visiting Capitals. Chiasson has a goal in each game for the Stars this season after posting six goals and an assist in seven games as a rookie in 2013. Erik Cole also lit the lamp and Kari Lehtonen stopped 25-of-26 shots for the Stars, who had suffered a season-opening loss to Florida. Dallas has visited Winnipeg just once since the franchise relocated from Atlanta following the 2010-11 campaign. The clubs will see a lot of each other from now on, as theyre both members of the Central Division following the installation of the NHLs realignment plan for this season. Winnipeg beat the Stars 5-2 when the clubs last met at MTS Centre on March 14, 2012, but Dallas has taken three of the past five encounters with the former Atlanta Thrashers. ' ' '
