HOUSTON - The first two times the Houston Texans had the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, they chose quarterback David Carr and defensive end Mario Williams. Odds are that theyll use this years top choice on one of those two positions again. South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is widely considered the best player available in this years draft. Pairing him with 2012 Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt could give the Texans the best 1-2 pass-rushing punch in the NFL. The problem is that while Houston could use another game-changing defensive player, the need at quarterback is more dire. The Texans traded Matt Schaub in the off-season after a terrible year in which he was benched after six games. The Texans signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick in the off-season, but he probably isnt the long-term solution to their quarterback woes. Several talented quarterbacks in this draft have questions attached to them concerning whether they are cant-miss prospects worthy of the No. 1 pick. Considered the best of the crop are Texas A&Ms Johnny Manziel, Louisvilles Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles of Central Florida. Some worry that Manziels size will be a detriment in the NFL. Bridgewater had a bad pro day. Bortles has taken criticism because of his limited mobility. Manziel is somewhat of a folk hero in Texas after winning the Heisman Trophy in 2012. Billboards imploring the Texans to "Keep Johnny Football in Texas" dot the freeways around Houston, and Manziel, of course, has said hed love to play here. Though the team is under different management than in 2006, Houston is unlikely to let public sentiment about not letting the homegrown player get away sway its decision. The Texans passed on former Texas quarterback Vince Young, who grew up in Houston and led the Longhorns to a national title, in favour of Williams the last time they had the first pick. Houston general manager Rick Smith did say this week his team would consider trading out of the top spot. "If we take the first pick, we know who we want," Smith said. "(But) we are obviously open to moving out of the first pick, if in fact there is an opportunity for us to do so and if we think that is in the best interest of the organization." Five things to know about the Texans heading into the draft: LATE-ROUND QBs: If the Texans do use their first pick on Clowney, recent history has shown they could still pick up a solid (or better) starting quarterback later in the draft. San Franciscos Colin Kaepernick was chosen in the second round in 2011, and Seattles Russell Wilson was taken in the third round a year later. "I think theres an idea of a traditional quarterback that is successful in the NFL and I think those two examples are guys that dont necessarily fit the ideal mode. And I think theyve also given people some confidence that you dont necessarily need to have a traditional type of quarterback to be successful in our league," Smith said. CANT GET ENOUGH: Though Smith shied away from discussing specific needs of his team on draft day, he did acknowledge one thing. "There are two positions that I never think you can have too many of: corners and tackles," he said. NEW PROCESS: Smith is adjusting to new coach Bill OBrien after working on the draft with Gary Kubiak, who was fired in December, for the last seven seasons. "The opportunity to step outside of that comfort zone, and learn something, gives me a chance to grow personally and professionally," Smith said. "That was a fun part of it." NO LOVE FOR Defence: Williams was the last defensive player selected with the first overall pick when Houston chose him in 2006. Before that, the last player on that side of the ball to go first was Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown to the Browns in 2000. The Texans have overwhelmingly gone with defence in the early rounds, choosing defenders with 14 of their 17 first- and second-round picks since 2004. FINE WITH THE MOVE: This years draft was pushed back from its usual time in April to May because Radio City Music Hall was unavailable. Smith was perfectly happy with the change for at least this year. "To have the first pick, the extra time has been good," Smith said. "I think that I enjoyed the schedule and the rhythm of the draft in April and would probably want to see it moved back, but Im enjoying it the fact that its in May this year for our selfish purposes." . 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. .Y. - Geno Smith shouted a couple of mighty expensive expletives.
http://www.outletunderarmourstore.com/c ... nline.html. But that changed when he committed a five-minute major penalty and helped pave the way for a comeback by the Philadelphia Flyers. Vincent Lecavalier scored at 2:45 of overtime and the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 5-4 victory on Sunday. ." The tournament was set to be held Sept. 15-21 and would have been the first ATP tournament held in Israel since 1996. But amid Israels military campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, ATP President Chris Kermode said "we do not feel we can proceed as planned given the situation in the region. . Rodgers was ruled out on Friday by Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. Matt Flynn will make his second consecutive start for the Packers.The Metropolitan Division-champion Pittsburgh Penguins will close out their regular season on Sunday night in a home matchup with the Ottawa Senators. The Penguins will head into the postseason as the second seed and will have home-ice advantage against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Pittsburgh was coming off back-to-back shootout wins before suffering a 4-3 loss in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Defenseman Kris Letang scored on a backhander with 36.8 seconds left in regulation, but the Flyers won it on Mark Streits goal with 2:50 to play in overtime. James Neal totaled a goal and two assists for the Penguins, while Jussi Jokinen also tallied. Marc-Andre Fleury ended up with only 17 saves in defeat. With nothing on the line, the Penguins sat defenseman Brooks Orpik and forward Chris Kunitz. Several skaters also could get a rest tonight, though captain Sidney Crosby still wants his team to focus on playing a good game. "I think just to follow up this performance from today. As a whole, we want to feel good about our game," Crosby said of todays finale. "I think there were some things from today that I think were good. For a game that doesnt move us anywhere, it didnt have a lot of bearing on us, we came with the right attitude, the right mindset." Letang, meanwhilee, scored his first goal since Jan.dddddddddddd. 23 in his second game since returning from a 10-week absence while recovering from a stroke. "Im just trying to get back into it," Letang said. "The result is disappointing, but I think we played a good game overall. I think if we go into the playoffs that way, were going to win games." The Senators will not be going into the playoffs, but can end the campaign with a season-high fifth straight victory. They matched their previous best of four consecutive wins with Saturdays 1-0 decision over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Craig Anderson stopped 28 shots for his fourth shutout of the season and 26th of his career. Jason Spezza had the only goal of the game, blasting a one-timer into the net during a second-period power play for his 23rd goal of the season. "Were playing games that dont mean much in the standings as far as getting us into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which is what its all about," said Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean. "But at the same time, finishing our home schedule like we are is way better." Ottawa wrapped the campaign with an 18-17-6 record at home. The Sens are 18-14-8 on the road. The Senators have lost four of their previous five meetings with the Penguins as well as five of their past six trips to Pittsburgh. ' ' '
