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eammate up for a big play

  • June 19, 2020 4:17 AM EDT

    There are likely two safe bets when it comes to the 2014 CFL Draft; offensive linemen will dominate the early selections, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will look to solidify one of their most glaring positional needs with the second-overall pick. Nike Denver Broncos Jerseys . According to the CFL Scouting Bureaus January rankings, four of the top five Canadian prospects line-up on the offensive side of the trenches, which is good news for Bombers general manager Kyle Walters. With only one selection in the first two rounds — Walters sent his second-round pick to Saskatchewan in the days ahead of the 2013 trade deadline  — the No. 2 pick is an opportunity to grab one of three top O-line prospects who are expected to play professionally in Canada. The No. 1-rated athlete overall, offensive tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif out of McGill, is not attending this weekends CFL Combine in Toronto, opting instead to hold his own pro day in Montreal for both NFL and Canadian scouts. This leaves Laval University centre Pierre Lavertu as a very likely target for either the expansion Ottawa Redblacks who select first overall, or for the Blue Bombers. Lavertu would be an attractive choice for Winnipeg with the free agent departure of starting centre Justin Sorensen this past winter. "(I am a) centre, so it will help then if Im going to be a centre at the next level," said the 6-foot-3 300-pound All-Canadian. "But if I have to play guard or something like that, Im going to do it." Lavertu is both confident and aware of the two teams who may call his name on May 13. "I figure that will happen. Its going to be cool if Im drafted by one of those teams. I watch a lot of the websites of Winnipeg and Ottawa just to learn more about these teams." The offensive lineman that may have the most to prove during Combine weekend is 6-foot-4 294-pound Matthias Goossen out of the non-CIS school Simon Fraser. "I want to make sure that whatever I do here solidifies what Ive done in the season, and it can help show more athleticism — how I compare to guys in the CIS game, because obviously all these guys here I havent played against at all. So it would great to compare myself to these guys and sort of show myself and prove my worth, and obviously continue to make myself look better for the scouts." Goossen made a huge leap in the Bureaus rankings in just four months, moving from No. 15 up to No. 5 once more scouts and CFL team reps could see what he was capable of. The Combine is an opportunity for him to cement those assessments. "I think the biggest thing, like everybody knows, is the one-on-ones and showing how to compete and showing how I actually play because when it comes down to it, theres no bench press on the field." Goossen played every position on the offensive line over the past four years at SFU, but feels his body-type is an ideal fit for the centre position at the pro level. A third potential option for the Blue Bombers, if they desire an O-lineman with their first pick may not fill their vacant centre spot, but he is quite hard to ignore. David Foucault stands 6-foot-8 and weighs in at 320 pounds. "I played tackle last year, but two years ago I played guard. I can play on both sides — guard and tackle — left and right… If a coach asks me what do you prefer? I prefer tackle. But I just want to play football. If you put me at guard, I will play guard. I just want to play professional football, and thats why Im here." While the CFL Combine measures many things, the versatile 24-year-old out of Montreal University feels language may be the most critical area for him to work on. "Thats why I went to Florida for training because all the stuff (at the Combine) is in English. When I came to Florida my first week, I was very bad in my English. I need to practice every day… If a scout or a coach wants to do an interview in French I will say no, I need to practice my English." Another concern for the No. 3-ranked prospect could be his physicality, as Foucault may stand prominent, but he has been known to play smaller than his stature and lack finish when engaging defenders. "(Im looking most forward to) the one-on-ones because in the combine in Tampa (Florida) I did all the tests and some drills. Some mirror drills and O-line drills. But maybe the one-on-ones I need to do well in that (this weekend). For all my tests I need to be consistent or do better." *N.B.  Winnipeg traded their 2014 second-round selection along with import defensive end Alex Hall to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in exchange for non-import offensive lineman Patrick Neufeld and a 2015 fourth-round selection. Denver Broncos Store . New York secured second place in the Metropolitan Division when the Philadelphia Flyers lost at Tampa Bay later Thursday. The Rangers will face either the Flyers or Columbus in the opening round of the post-season. The Rangers struggled throughout against the lowly Sabres and goalie Matt Hackett, who played in just his seventh NHL game of the season. Denver Broncos Jerseys Sale . This week they discuss the Philadelphia 76ers, Gregg Popovich, Royal and Ancient Golf Club and Bill Belichick.MIAMI - Dwyane Wade thinks theres no one better than the Miami Heat at dealing with the mental challenge of the playoffs. In his eyes, only one other team might compare. Hes talking about the San Antonio Spurs. Thats why Wade believes these NBA Finals are just getting started. When he looks at the Spurs, he sees qualities his own team has, including an ability to break down a loss and quickly correct things. Its what Miami did before Game 2 of the finals and its what Wade expects the Spurs to do before the title series resumes with Game 3 in Miami on Tuesday night. "You never put them away," Wade said. "I think they always believe and its the same with us. You cant, you wont, put us away because were always going to believe. Thats why this is a perfect, different animal, kind of series. Theyre the other team like us. They dont lose much and when they do they come back and be better in the next game. So weve got to come out and do the same thing." That would explain why on Monday, instead of a day off, the Heat gathered to watch video of Game 2. By winning in San Antonio to even the finals at 1-1, home-court advantage now belongs to the Heat. But no one in their locker room thinks its going to get easy now. "They came out great. They played a great game," Spurs guard Tony Parker said after Miamis 98-96 win in Game 2, the 13th straight time the Heat immediately followed a post-season loss with a victory. "Now its our turn to go over there and get one. We played pretty well all season long on the road and so were going to have two great opportunities to try to come up with a win." Miami has won a franchise-record 11 straight post-season games at home. The last team to win a playoff game in Miami was the Spurs, winning Game 1 of last seasons finals. "We are in a tough situation because weve got to go to Miami and weve got to get one," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "We dont want to come back here 3-1 down. Its very hard to overcome that. Definitely going to be a great challenge for the team to play in an arena like that and having to win." A challenge, sure, but its one Heat coach Erik Spoelstra knows the Spurs can handle. Denver Broncos Jerseys 2021. "Coming back here there has to be an incredible sense of focus and urgency," Spoelstra said Monday. "Theyre a veteran, poised, championship-level team thats been through a lot. The crowd wont affect them much." Neither team thought it played all that well in the game that it won so far in these finals. The Spurs turned the ball over too much for their liking in Game 1 — the game that will be remembered for the air conditioning malfunction and cramps inside a steamy building forcing LeBron James to leave in the final minutes. In Game 2, the Heat werent thrilled with a slow start and how they spent much of the game playing from behind. When James got rolling in the third quarter, things started swinging Miamis way in Game 2. When he found Chris Bosh for the 3-pointer that put Miami ahead for good with 1:18 left, it was just another example of the four-time MVP setting a teammate up for a big play. "Im going to make the right play," said James, who signalled to Bosh about what he wanted on that play. "To have that trust from my teammates, they know when Ive got the ball, Im going to make the right play. Doesnt mean its going to go in. Doesnt mean its going to result in a win, but they believe in my ability." The pressure, if Miami had not found a way to win in the final moments of Game 2, would have been enormous on the two-time defending champions. Now, it seems to have shifted to the Spurs. "It doesnt matter what weve been through before," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. "Were here now again." The last time these teams met in Miami at this time of year, the Heat wound up spraying champagne in their locker room. Its tempting, Bosh acknowledged, to think that all Miami needs to do for a third straight championship is stay unbeaten at home. But Bosh wont let himself go there. "I can only think about Game 3," Bosh said. "Weve played well at home this post-season. I think we feel we have an advantage now. We have to make sure that we play well and keep it that way." ' ' '