Dein erstes Forum » contacted Wednesday. Shelly Ster

With just three weeks remaining in the NFL season, many teams are facing must-win situations to stay alive in the race for January football, while others have eyes on the first-overall pick. This Sunday, four teams have a chance to clinch playoff spots and Johnny Manziels Browns are facing a key matchup against the Bengals in the rookies first start. Manziel makes first start in must-win matchup The AFC North has emerged as the NFLs most competitive division – and only division with every team above .500. However, the Browns have dropped two straight games and are rapidly falling out of the playoff picture. Hoyer threw seven interceptions to zero touchdowns in his last three starts. He was replaced by Manziel in Week 13 before starting again last Sunday. To save their dwindling post-season hopes, and above .500 record, the Browns are turning to electrifying rookie Johnny Manziel at quarterback. The Browns, at 7-6, are desperate for a win and if Manziel cant deliver one, their playoff drought will be almost certain to continue. If the Bengals can leave Cleveland with a win, Cincinnati will stay atop the AFC North. A loss would open the door for the Steelers and Ravens to take the division lead. Ravens, Steelers look to keep pace in AFC North against sub-.500 teams The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers each sit a half game behind the Bengals in the AFC North, with the Steelers currently owning one of two AFC Wild Card spots. The Ravens play host to host to the 2-11 Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, a favourable matchup for the team especially considering the Jaguars put leading rusher Denard Robinson on IR this week. The Jaguars defence features a strong pass rush, but is also one that is susceptible to big plays against; having allowed 48 completions of 20 yards or more this season. With games against the Texans (7-6) and Browns remaining on the schedule, the Ravens need a win against the lowly Jaguars. If the Bengals and Steelers win their next two games, the two will meet in Pittsburgh to decide the division crown in Week 17. The Steelers face a tougher matchup in the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons. Despite their 5-8 record, the Falcons remain directly in the hunt to host a playoff game in January as a division winner. Coming off a narrow loss to the Green Bay Packers, in which they battled back with 30 second-half points, the Falcons will present a challenge to the Steelers. Pittsburgh has the playoff- hopeful Chiefs (7-6) and rival Bengals remaining on the schedule. Patriots, Broncos, Colts can punch playoff tickets with wins By the time Sunday night comes around, half of the six AFC playoff spots could be secured. Familiar Territory The Colts, Patriots and Broncos all won their respective divisions last season. The New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts can all guarantee a return to the playoffs with wins against division foes this weekend. All three teams can clinch not just a playoff spot, but their respective divisions and at least one home game with a win. The Patriots are at home to the Miami Dolphins, while the Colts host the Houston Texans. The Broncos travel to play the San Diego Chargers. Panthers forced to turn Anderson to keep faint playoff hopes alive The Carolina Panthers are coming off their most convincing win since Week 2 against the Detroit Lions after routing the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. With the win, the Panthers jumped back into the playoff race, and were just another loss by the Saints away from controlling their own destiny. Anderson is making his second start in a season for the first time since 2010, when he was with the Arizona Cardinals. Yet, all the confidence the Panthers had mustered ahead of hosting the struggling Buccaneers came to a sudden halt on Tuesday when Cam Newton was involved in a car accident that caused the quarterback to suffer two back fractures. Newton, coming off his first three touchdown game of the season, will miss Sundays game due to the injury and backup Derek Anderson will start in his place. Anderson started the first game of the season for the Panthers – coincidentally against the Buccaneers - as Newton was sidelined by injuries. In his lone start, Anderson led the Panthers to a win and posted a 108.7 quarterback rating, a mark Newton topped for the first time this season against the Saints. First place in the NFC East on the line as Cowboys, Eagles meet again The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles met just two weeks ago on Thanksgiving Day in America and the Eagles appeared to be the far superior team with a 33-10 victory. The Eagles were held to 139 yards of total offence against the Seahawks, the lowest mark ever for a Chip Kelly-led team at the college or pro level. The Cowboys rebounded from the loss with a convincing win over the Chicago Bears, while the Eagles saw their offence completely shut down by the Seattle Seahawks. Now, with the Cowboys entering on 10 days rest – as opposed to three the last time around – the game figures to much more competitive, if not completely opposite. This game should prove to be much more important for Dallas than the Eagles, who have the Giants and Redskins remaining on the schedule. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have an intimidating date with the Colts looming in Week 16. Notes Facing the Rush Led by Mario Williams, Marcel Dareus and Jerry Hughes (pictured), the Buffalo Wild Things have an NFL-high 48 sacks this season. The Green Bay Packers can clinch a playoff berth this weekend with a win over the Buffalo Bills and a Dallas Cowboys loss, along with clinching strength of victory tiebreaker over the Cowboys. However, after facing an almost non-existent pass rush against the Atlanta Falcons, the Packers offensive line will have their hands full against the Bills top-ranked pass rush. The Packers O-line has allowed 27 sacks this season, but just six over the past four games. Opposite Directions The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers met in Week 13 as 7-4 teams with realistic playoff aspirations. The Seahawks won that first meeting handedly - 19-3 - shutting down the 49ers offence in the process. After dropping their contest against the Oakland Raiders in Week 14, the 49ers now sit well outside the playoff picture and loss this week could eliminate them January football for the first time since Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach in 2011. Pick Race Jake Locker will make his first start since Oct. 5 on Sunday, replacing the injured Zach Mettenberger. The New York Jets and Tennessee Titans both sit tied for last in the NFL at 2-11, a win for either club could eliminate them from the first-overall pick sweepstakes. A win this week could be costly in April. The current draft order for the top five picks is as follows: 1. Buccaneers 2. Titans 3. Jaguars 4. Jets 5. Raiders Air Jordan 6 Australia Online .Y. - The Philadelphia Eagles game at Green Bay against the Packers on Nov. Air Jordan 6 Australia Outlet . TSN platforms will broadcast 75+ live games per season – tripling the networks current slate of MLB games. With the new deal TSN retains rights to ESPNs SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL and, for the first time, acquires rights to ESPNs MONDAY NIGHT BASEBALL and WEDNESDAY NIGHT BASEBALL. http://www.airjordan6australia.com/. Now, he might be their hottest pitcher. Lobstein earned up his first major league victory Sunday night, allowing one run in 5 2-3 innings in the Tigers 6-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. Air Jordan 6 Australia . Correia pitched six innings of one-run ball, Eduardo Escobar homered, and the Minnesota Twins pulled away late to beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3 on Saturday. Cheap Air Jordan 6 Australia . With the final four being arguably the four best – and most complete – teams from the regular season, picking a winner is not as easy as it sounds.A cadre of attorneys and a flurry of lawsuits could certainly slow down the NBAs plan to force Donald Sterling to sell the Los Angeles Clippers over his recent racist comments, but legal experts say the league would likely prevail in the end. And that goes for Sterlings wife, Shelly, who has said shed like to keep her stake in the team even if her husband is ousted. The NBAs constitution, which Donald Sterling signed as controlling owner of the Clippers, gives its board of governors broad latitude in league decisions including who owns the teams. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is pushing for a swift vote against Sterling, which requires a minimum of three-fourths of the other 29 controlling owners to agree. Silver also has imposed a lifetime ban on Sterling and a $2.5 million fine. The ban does not apply to Shelly Sterling. SI.com and ESPN.com, citing unidentified sources, reported Thursday that Sterlings lawyer, antitrust litigator Maxwell Blecher, wrote a letter to Rick Buchanan, the NBAs executive vice-president and general counsel, threatening to sue the league and saying Sterling will not pay the $2.5 million fine. "Sterlings own signature will come back to haunt him," said Michael McCann, founding director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire. "You agree to certain basic understandings. Thats what makes a sports league different from other businesses." The key to the NBAs authority, attorneys say, is Article 13(d) of the leagues constitution. That section says that, whether Sterling intended to or not, an owner cannot "fail or refuse to fulfil" contractual obligations to the NBA "in such a way to affect the Association or its members adversely." Theres plenty of evidence Sterlings comments, revealed in a recorded conversation with a female companion, affected the league adversely. They provoked threats of a player boycott, led sponsors to withdraw support and created a racially charged image problem in the midst of the NBA playoffs that even President Barack Obama remarked upon. If Article 13(d) was violated, the legal experts say the board of governors has solid grounds to force Sterling to sell the team along with any other owners, in this case his wife. As long as the NBA meticulously follows its own constitution and rules regarding the Clippers sale, it will be difficult for Sterling to find a legal theory that would stand up in court, said Daniel Lazaroff, director of the Sports Law Institute at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.dddddddddddd "This is not an antitrust issue. This is not a First Amendment issue," Lazaroff said. "Its a question limited to the interpretation of the NBA constitution and bylaws, and whether those terms are met." Another question involves California family law. Its a community property state, meaning spouses jointly own property they acquired while married. The Sterlings were already married when he bought the Clippers in 1981. Although a potential divorce could complicate the Clippers sale, McCann said the couples joint ownership actually works to the NBAs favour because — legally speaking — they are a single entity. So if the NBA forced Donald Sterling to sell, even under a divorce scenario, Shelly Sterling would have to sell, too. They have been married since 1955. "The NBA is well positioned to ultimately prevail," McCann said. For his part, Donald Sterling has repeatedly said he does not want to sell the Clippers. In his recent interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper, he cast doubt on going to court if the NBA governors ultimately do vote to force him out. "People want me to hire a wall of lawyers and them to have to hire a wall of lawyers and go to war," Sterling said on CNN. "I dont think thats the answer." Sterlings longtime attorney, Robert Platt, declined to comment when contacted Wednesday. Shelly Sterlings attorney, Pierce ODonnell, did not respond to email requests for comment from The Associated Press. But he has previously said she wants to remain a passive owner of the Clippers even if her husband is no longer involved. For now, the NBA has installed former Time Warner and Citigroup chairman Dick Parsons to oversee the teams business operations. Parsons said this week that a prolonged legal battle "is in no ones interest." "I would hope we could avoid that," he said. If he is forced out, Sterling still stands to reap a huge financial windfall in a Clippers sale. He bought the team for $12.5 million in 1981, and Forbes magazine recently placed its 2014 value at $575 million, or No. 13 in the NBA. Of course, there would also be a sizable capital gains tax bill for that. _____ Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Miamicurt ' ' '