Falcons inside slant

[rhensley3]

Last season, during the Falcons' improbable rise to wild-card playoff status, the team suffered just a few major injuries.
This season, the injured list is littered with high draft picks and veteran cornerback Brian Williams. Starting left tackle Sam Baker, starting defensive tackle Thomas Johnson and dependable backup running back Jerious Norwood have all missed games.
First-round draft pick Peria Jerry and second-round pick William Moore are on injured reserve.
Now, the Falcons may be facing time without their top running back, Michael Turner, who left the game against Carolina with a high right ankle sprain. Turner could miss anywhere from four to six weeks, but the Falcons are hoping he's a quick healer.
With Turner and Norwood (right hip flexor) out, the Falcons handed over their potent rushing attack to third-year man Jason Snelling. He's a hard-charger but lacks the explosives of Norwood and Turner.
"When somebody goes down, somebody has to step up," fullback Ovie Mughelli said.
Snelling came on in the second quarter and had to carry the load the rest of the way in the Falcons' 28-19 loss to the Panthers. Norwood is close to returning, and he could be available Sunday against the Giants.
He finished with 61 yards on 18 carries and scored the Falcons' first touchdown, the second rushing touchdown of his career.
"I had a job to do, I had to go out there and make plays," Snelling said. "We all have to step up. That's the mentality we have on this team."
Coach Mike Smith was pleased with Snelling's play.
"I thought Jason came in and did a nice job of running," Smith said. "We don't have the explosiveness we had with Michael, but I thought Jason, for his first time back in a couple of weeks, ran the ball hard."
Snelling had been on the shelf, too. He missed the two previous games with a hamstring injury. The Falcons also released Aaron Stecker before the Carolina game, but they may have to re-sign him for depth purposes.
Snelling has done well in cameo appearances. Until now, he's been making his main contributions on special teams. Before the Carolina game, Snelling had carried the ball 19 times all season, including 68 yards on seven carries in a loss at Dallas.
Against the Panthers, Turner had been unstoppable early. He had a 40-yard run on the first series and four runs of 10 yards or more on the first three drives.
He came limping out after a 10-yard burst up the middle to the Carolina 15 on the Falcons' first drive of the second quarter, at which point he had 111 yards on nine carries. Carolina defensive back Chris Gamble clipped his ankle while trying to tackle him low.
Snelling took over and got his first touchdown of the season from 1 yard out six plays later, cutting Carolina's lead to 14-10 at the time. Snelling was the only Falcons running back to carry the ball in the second half, gaining 55 yards on 14 carries.
"I try to prepare as well as I can for my role," Snelling said. "That has happened a couple of times this year, so I was ready. I felt good out there. I felt like I was prepared. I played well, but I think a couple of plays I left some yards on the field."
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

The Falcons have dropped three of their last five games and everybody is wondering what happened to Matt "Matty Ice" Ryan.
He made a very un-ice like play against Carolina, throwing an interception with under 4:00 to play. Ice was supposed to remain cool, and take the Falcons down -- at least for a field goal -- in the 21-19 game.
But he threw his 10th interception over the last five games and his 12th of the season. He only threw 11 in 434 attempts last season. He's thrown the 12 this season while making 298 attempts.
"We evaluate Matt and all of our players' play," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "We are always trying to give our guys nuggets that can help them play more efficiently. That's what the coaching staff is supposed to do.
"The numbers are what they are right now. We are working with Matt and all of our players so that we'll play more efficiently."
Smith is not ready to hang all of the blame for the interceptions on Ryan.
"I saw a little bit of both in terms of decision making and route running," Smith said. "It's a team game. You have to be very precise in everything that you do. You have to be precise in your route running and decision making. It was not an interception in one area. They (are) team interceptions."
The Falcons got Ryan a new toy in tight end Tony Gonzalez this offseason. One theory is that he's locking in on Gonzalez and not finding the other receivers.
Under the microscope, that one doesn't hold up. Only one of the picks has come on passes to Gonzalez, and Roddy White remains the team's most targeted receiver.
"I don't think that's the case," White said. "Tony is a great attribute to our team. He catches a lot of balls in traffic and things like that. Matt Ryan has a lot of confidence in him. Usually, every time he throws it to him he catches it. He's been doing a good job of that.
"You have to keep feeding the big guy. He's doing a heck of a job. He's had some fourth down conversions. Some key third down, move the chains type of things. He's doing a good job."
Ryan is still a cool customer who is working through his issues.
"You just have to keep plugging away," Ryan said. "As a quarterback, you have to learn from your mistakes and make your adjustments during the course of the week. The beauty of the NFL is that it's a long season and you have the opportunity to get back out there this week, play again, make adjustments and hopefully make the play when they present themselves."
Ryan hasn't been able to put his finger on one thing that's causing the proliferation in interceptions.
"You know what? It's just some different things," Ryan said. "Just some decisions you'd like to make differently at different times. I feel like I haven't been making the same mistake twice. I've just been making mistakes in situations throughout games. You have to learn from that and get better from that. I think I've been doing that and I'll continue to do that. Work hard at it to make sure that we play better."
SERIES HISTORY
20th regular-season meeting. Falcons lead series, 10-9. The teams have not played since the 2007 season. The road team has won the last 12 meetings. The Falcons bring a five-game New York road winning streak into Giants Stadium this Sunday and look to improve their season record to 6-4. The winning streak against the Giants includes three victories in consecutive years from 2002-04. New York has won the last two contests, however, in 2006 and '07 by a combined 58-24 margin. A road win for the Falcons would be their second this
season along with a Week 5 victory at San Francisco (45-10).
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

Jason Elam, perhaps the best kicker of his era, had to endure the Falcons bringing in four kickers for a tryout this week.

Elam, who tied Tom Dempsey's NFL record for longest field goal when he nailed a 63-yarder in 1998, has been in a slump.
Elam has missed six field goals this season after making 29 of 31 attempts in 2008.
Elam figures he'll pull through the slump and keep on humming right along.
"I've had slumps before," Elam said. "I've played 17 years and there have been hiccups at various times. But I've always been able to kick myself out of them. Hopefully that is going to be the case. It is frustrating. I'll be the first to admit that, but I'm trying to correct it."
Elam had key misses in the last two games. He missed a 34-yarder when the Falcons were trailing by two points against Carolina. He missed a 35-yarder against the New York Giants in a 34-31 overtime loss.
Elam stared at holder Michael Koenen after both of the misses. Also, long snapper Bryan Pittman was added to the mix Nov. 5 after Mike Schneck was placed on injured reserve with broken ribs.
"That is an operation that has not been smooth for us over the last two games, and it's costs us points," Falcons coach Mike Smith said.
Elam was not stunned that the team gave tryouts to four kickers.
"To be honest with you, I thought they were going to do that a couple of weeks ago," Elam said. "I really don't know what to say. I'm kind of at a loss for words."
Former Georgia standout Brandon Coutu, Steve Hauschka, Sam Swank and Shane Andrus all worked out for the Falcons on Tuesday, but none were extended contract offers.
"This is a result based business and I haven't been getting my part done," Elam said. "Your job is always on the line. I understand that completely."
Elam has been critiquing his kicks and even watched some film from earlier in his career.
"There are some technique issues that I've got to fix," Elam said. "I've gone back and looked at film from earlier in my career. I've looked at all kinds of stuff, trying to figure this out."
The Falcons signed Elam in March 2008 to a four-year, $9 million contact, which included $3.3 million in guarantees. He's making $1.7 million this season and is set to make $1.97 in 2010 and $2 million in 2011.
Coutu was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2008 and made their active roster, but was inactive for all 16 games. He was placed on waivers in September. At Georgia, his longest field goal was a 58-yarder against Louisiana-Monroe in 2005.
Coutu, who worked out with former Falcons kicker Morten Andersen this offseason, made 51 of 64 field goals at Georgia. He was 5-of-11 on field goals between 50 and 59 yards. He was 29 of 31 on field goals under 40 yards.
SERIES HISTORY
32nd regular-season meeting. Buccaneers lead series, 18-13. The teams split last season's series with each team winning at home. The Falcons won 13-10 in overtime at the Georgia Dome.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

The injuries continue to mount.
With the Falcons set to face Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints' vaunted passing attack, they couldn't afford to lose a cornerback.
But starting right cornerback Chris Houston, arguably the best corner on the 29th-ranked pass defense, has been ruled out of Sunday's game with a hamstring injury.
Brent Grimes, who has started two games at right cornerback and two at left cornerback, will likely step in for Houston.
Grimes had an interception against Brees in the first game.
"I think we are a very young defense that has not played as consistent as we would like throughout the entire season," Falcons head coach Mike Smith said.
"I think there have been spurts within games that we've played efficiently and effectively. I think that our guys are going through the learning curve and experiencing the ups and downs of being an NFL player. That's where I think we're at right now."
Grimes is athletic, but he measures less than 5-feet-10-inches tall --meaning he's usually outmanned against above-average-sized receivers. He's a scrapper and he keeps battling back from being targeted by several quarterbacks this season.
He first lost the left starting cornerback spot with a poor training camp. Brian Williams was signed before the start of the season to take over. On third downs, Williams would move to cover the slot receiver and Grimes would play outside.
After Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury, Grimes took over but eventually lost the starting nod to Tye Hill, who then lost it to rookie Christopher Owens.
Grimes knows he'll be battling all day against the Saints.
"One week (Robert) Meachem is making some big plays," Grimes said. "The next week it's (Marques) Colston. Then they might try to get Reggie Bush some touches. Then, there is (Jeremy) Shockey. There are a lot of people to focus on."
On Sunday against the Saints, it will be Owens and Grimes starting with Chevis Jackson handling the slot duties.
"You just can't say we have to stop this person or we have to stop that person," Grimes said. "It's a whole offense and that's what makes them so successful."
--In retrospect, it was a rather ambitious undertaking.
The Falcons' plan to replace five starters on defense has not worked out too well through 12 games of the season.
Last season, they used a bend-but-don't-break defense that held up enough to allow them to finish 11-5 and reach the playoffs.
But the team may have overreacted after a playoff lost to the Arizona Cardinals when they felt some of their older player's lack of speed and range cost them the game.
So safety Lawyer Milloy was not re-signed. He's a reserve now with Seattle.
Linebacker Keith Brooking received a much better offer from Dallas. He is having a fine season after being reunited with Wade Phillips, his former defensive coordinator in Atlanta.
Cornerback Domonique Foxworth signed a lucrative deal with Baltimore. He has struggled with the Ravens.
Nose tackle Grady Jackson was allowed to leave during free agency. He signed with Detroit and has played in 11 games.
Linebacker Michael Boley was not pursued in free agency. He signed with the New York Giants. He's battled some injuries but is starting to play well.
While trying to break in the new starters, the Falcons have struggled. The team has given up 48 pass plays and seven running plays that have gone for 20 yards or more.
The coaches call them explosive plays and they're killing the Falcons' playoff hopes.
"Explosive players are normally one of four things," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "Three of the four are on the defensive players. Very rarely do you see a great throw and a great catch. It's usually a mental error, a missed tackle or poor leverage. Those are the three things that contribute to an explosive play."
Three potential replacements on defense ended up on the injured reserve.
The Falcons were counting on first-round draft pick Peria Jerry to start at nose tackle for Jackson. Jerry's out for the year with a knee injury.
Second-round pick William Moore was expected to start at strong safety for Milloy, but he only played in one game.
Cornerback Brian Williams was signed late from Jacksonville and was starting at cornerback before he was lost to a knee injury.
Linebacker Michael Peterson was signed to play weak-side linebacker for Brooking. He had a fast start to the season, but has tailed off.
Linebacker Steve Nicholas took over at strong-side linebacker for Michael Boley and has been solid.
Looks like over the upcoming offseason, the Falcons will have to take another swing at fixing their defense. They will likely have to start with the secondary that has given up so many big pass plays.
"Right now we are not handling the explosive plays," Smith said. "We are 31st in the league in terms of giving up the explosive plays. It's something that we've been working on and trying to address all season long. It's something that we haven't gotten fixed."


SERIES HISTORY
81st regular-season meeting. Falcons lead the series 44-36. They split last season with each team winning at home. The Falcons won at home last year 34-20.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

With Brian Finneran being lost for the remainder of the season, the Falcons need someone to step forward to provide some depth in the receiving corps.
Roddy White and Michael Jenkins are having fine seasons, but when Harry Douglas was lost for the season, the Falcons replaced him with a committee of Finneran, Marty Booker and Eric Weems.
Finneran suffered a knee injury against New Orleans on Sunday and was placed on injured reserve.
Finneran tore the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Troy Bergeron, a wide receiver on the practice squad, will likely take Finneran's place on the roster. He's bounced back and forth from the practice squad to the roster.
"Brian has been a great team player," Falcons coach Mike Smith said.
Finneran missed the 2006 and 2007 seasons after several surgeries on his right knee. He came back and played in all 17 games last season. He had 10 catches for 97 yards and also contributed on special teams this season.


"When we first got here as a staff, if you would have told me that Brian Finneran was going to play two years with the medical records that we looked at, coming from missing two seasons and to come and play and play as effectively as he did last year, (I wouldn't have believed it)," Smith said. "Brian has done everything that we've asked. Not only on the offensive side of the ball, but on special teams as well."
Earlier this season, Finneran was named the team's nominee for the 2009 Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The award recognizes a player's off-the-field community service. Each team nominates a player, and the winner will be selected by a panel and recognized on the field before kickoff of Super Bowl XLIV in Miami.
"It's very tough, really because Brian is not only a good football player, but he's a great man," Smith said. "He does some great things in this community. He's a family man. I have a lot of respect for Brian Finneran as a man."
The injury is not considered career-threatening and should heal without surgery, according to Smith.
Booker, a former Pro Bowler, likely will be asked to step up. He caught three passes against the Saints and is still a solid receiver.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

Falcons coach Mike Smith didn't want to get too excited.
He attributed that little extra bounce in the team's step to the cold weather -- 41 degrees is pretty chilly for Georgia -- and them wanting to get back inside.
However, it could have been from the return to practice of quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner. The Falcons have played the last two games with 70 percent of their offense sitting on the sideline.
Ryan suffered a turf toe injury and Turner reinjured his sprained right ankle on Nov. 29 against Tampa Bay.
Both are hopeful that they will be able to play against the New York Jets on Sunday.
"Right now, I don't even think in those terms," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "Right now I just think about getting them back out here in practices. It was the first time that they practiced in a couple of weeks. It was very limited with what they did, but they did participate in team activities."


It appeared that they both took about one-quarter of the snaps with the first team.
"This was very limited in terms of the number of snaps they took today," Smith said. "It was an opportunity for us to see how they respond to actually going out and participating and playing football."
Ryan had not spoken since suffering the injury early in the Tampa Bay game.
"Nobody likes to have to sit down, but it's something that you're going to have to deal with at different points in your career," Ryan said.
Turner originally was injured against Carolina on Nov. 15. He tried to play two weeks later against Tampa Bay and was re-injured.
"You just want to try to get back out there and be productive," Turner said. "It's very important to see where I'm at, to see if the soreness will go away and things like that. I need to see if I can really handle playing and cutting."


Their teammates were happy to see Ryan and Turner back on the field.
"He was out there firing the ball everywhere," wide receiver Roddy White said of Ryan. "He was out there controlling the huddle and telling guys to listen up. That was good."
Fullback Ovie Mughelli said, "Matt looked good. It was good to see him back in the huddle. They both looked good. I'm looking forward to them coming back to the team and helping us win."


--When the Falcons acquired Tony Gonzalez in a trade with Kansas City, many figured that the future Hall of Fame tight end might stunt the growth of wide receiver Roddy White.
White, who made his first trip to the Pro Bowl last season, did get off to a slow start in the first three games. However, that was attributed to his holdout.
He broke out with a 210-yard receiving game in the fourth game of the season at San Francisco and has not slowed down.
White is 85 yards short from having 1,000 yards receiving for the third consecutive year. He's on pace to finish with 1,126 yards.
There have been enough passes to go around for White and Gonzalez.
Teams have focused their defenses to take both away in the passing game. The Saints used two defenders to bracket Gonzalez and then rolled coverage to White.
"They just did a lot of combo coverage," White said.
With the focus on White and Gonzalez, Michael Jenkins has been getting some more action.
"Oh yeah, he's been doing a good job," White said. "He was doing his thing beating their coverages backside. Teams are going to have things like that and see what works. If we struggle against it they are going to use it."


White has now recorded 915 receiving yards, which currently ranks sixth in the NFC.
He is looking to reach a familiar milestone which he set last season after compiling the fourth highest receiving total in the NFL with 1,382 yards.
White trails Minnesota's Sidney Rice (1,075), New York Giants' Steve Smith (1,053), Dallas' Miles Austin (999), Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald (991) and Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson (947).
White, who is in his fifth season, is also moving up the team's all-time receiving yardage list.
With a franchise record 1,382 yards in 2008 and a 1,000-yard campaign in 2007, White has moved into fourth place on the Falcons all-time receiving yardage list.
After finishing with 104 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13, he passed Jim Mitchell, who spent 11 seasons in a Falcons uniform and recorded 4,410 yards.
White, who has 4,451 career receiving yards, trails only Terance Mathis (7,349), Alfred Jenkins (6,267) and Andre Rison (5,633).


SERIES HISTORY
10th regular-season meeting. Falcons lead the series, 5-4. The Falcons won the last meeting 27-14 in 2005, powered by a 155-yard rushing effort from Warrick Dunn. In a 1983 meeting against the Jets in New York, the Falcons faced a 21-point deficit in the third quarter. Atlanta recorded 27 unanswered points and claimed a 27-21 victory, marking a tie for the biggest comeback in franchise history. Quarterback Steve Bartkowski completed 25 of 36 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

It seems apparent that the Falcons have to make a decision on whether to shut down running back Michael Turner for the rest of the season and let his right high ankle sprain heal.
Two comeback efforts have been foiled on the first hit.
Against the Jets, Turner was knocked out the game again after taking another shot to his injured right ankle.
On the Falcons' first play of the game, Turner charged up the middle for 7 yards before New York safety Jimmy Leonhard hit Turner low and on the ankle.
Turner was originally injured when Carolina's Chris Gamble drilled him in the second quarter of the Nov. 15 game.
Turner came back against Tampa Bay on Nov. 29 and has hit on the ankle. He wants to keep rehabbing to try to play.
"I've got to start all over again," Turner said.
With the Falcons already eliminated from the playoffs, it seems futile to keep running Turner out on the field at less than 100 percent.
Shutting him down for the season seems to make sense.
The Falcons close out the season with Buffalo (5-9) at home and on the road against Tampa Bay (2-12) on Jan. 3.


"I'm not going to say that (I'll shut it down) right now," Turner said. "I've got to start out all over again. How many weeks has this been now? I just have to keep trying. This is part of football, you know. I have to try to keep playing and get back on the field."
The Falcons have been aggressive with not only Turner's ankle, but with quarterback Matt Ryan's turf toe. They played Ryan three weeks after the initial injury, when one sports medical expert contended that it took anywhere from four to eight weeks for the injury to heal properly.
Turner expects for teams to target his ankle, but he stopped short of calling Leonhard's hit intentional.
"I'm not in their minds, so I'm not going to say what they are trying to do," Turner said. "That's what it looks like, but I've got to expect it. I was just hoping that my ankle was strong enough to take it."
Turner, who rushed for 1,699 yards last season, has 871 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. The Falcons were hoping to lean on him against the Jets.
"I just got hit on it again," Turner said. "It's just a part of the game."


Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

quarterback Matt Ryan is not interested in comparing his stats.

Last year, as a rookie, he threw just 11 interceptions, three fewer than this year.
Last year, he completed 61.1 percent of his passes, but he dropped to 58.3 this year.
"As far as statistics, it comes down to wins and losses," Ryan said. "That's ultimately what you have to judge yourself by. Did I do enough to help us win? That's the biggest thing we concern ourselves with. I'll take some time first, take some time and get away for a little bit and take a look back. Statistics, I don't get hung up on them much, but I know that we need to improve."


As a rookie, Ryan completed 265 of 434 passes for 2,693 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. This season, Ryan completed 263 of 452 passes for 2,916 yards, 22 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He missed two games and only played one series in the first Tampa Bay game, when he was injured.


"The biggest thing is having a better understanding of what my role is within the organization and the team," Ryan said. "I feel like I've made really good strides with that. On the field, I think that understanding that I'm one part of the puzzle. We've got guys around me and guys on both sides of the ball that can make plays. I feel good about that. I feel like I got better with protecting the football down the stretch of the season."


Once Michael Turner got hurt in Week 9, the Falcons opened up the passing attack more.
"We were aggressive this year too," Ryan said. "We threw more touchdowns passes than we did last year, which is something that we are going to have to continue to get better with. I felt like I improved is a lot of areas."


Ryan was ordered to rest his right turf toe injury, but expects to be fully recovered when the team opens organized training activities in March.
Ryan was sacked on the first series against Tampa Bay on Nov. 29 and was injured. He missed two games but came back to lead the Falcons to three straight victories and help the franchise post its first back-to-back winning seasons.
Ryan did not take part in a full practice before any of the final three games in order to rest the toe.


"The biggest thing is rest and it's going to heal properly," Ryan said. "I've been able to meet with the doctors. We handled it as well as we could have handled it over the past five, six weeks. Hopefully, there are no lingering effects. I'll be all right when we get out to OTAs."
Ryan took every snap from center during his rookie season in 2008 when he guided the Falcons to an 11-5 record and wildcard round of the playoffs.


Copyright (C) 2010 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[Victor Is A Goat]

Biggest thing with Ryan is we went from having a dumb downed Rookie QB playbook to a full blown NFL team playbook. His play took a hit and on the surface it looks bad but when you expand your passing plays by almost 2 times it is really still a good season.

[rhensley3]

The Falcons elected to get young last season.
They like their prospects, who showed flashes. Now that they have affirmed that their young players can play, they plan to start demanding some consistency.
Quarterback Matt Ryan had a rough patch, but he bounced back to turn in a fine season with 22 touchdown passes. He threw 12 interceptions.


"I am pleased with Matt's development," general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "Anytime that you go into a second year, there is that much more (information) out on a player. People studied Matt all offseason. ... His arrow is definitely up. He's the least of our concerns here."


Ryan battled through a turf toe injury. He came back to start the final three games, but practiced very little during the week.
"Arguably, Matt's playing the most difficult position in sports," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "We increased Matt's role as a quarterback and put more on his shoulders. I thought he handled it very well."
On defense, the Falcons replaced five starters and have found a cornerback in Christopher Owens, who was a third-round selection out of San Jose State. Linebackers Curtis Lofton and Stephen Nicholas continue to grow.
Second-year safety Thomas DeCoud also turned in a fine season and was deemed by Smith to be the team's defensive MVP.


"I thought we got off to a very fast start on defense," Smith said. "We were playing very aggressive defense. We had 12 turnovers in the first five games of the season. We had eight turnovers in the last three games. There was a stretch during the season when we did not create turnovers. I think that really set the tone for the season."
After going 11-5 and 9-7, Smith believes the Falcons are pointed in the right direction.


"I know that we have a long way to go," Smith said. "This is a process. We've made steps through the first two years. We are a better football team then we were when (the coaching staff) first arrived."
Now the Falcons are planning for an offseason that will see them attempt to address problems in the secondary and to re-stock their offensive line.
They are waiting to see how they will operate in these unsettled times concerning the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the potential for an uncapped year.
"It will mean that there are a different set of rules that we have to play with in terms of free agency this year," owner Arthur Blank said. "We don't know that we are going to have that. We have until the first of March to reach an agreement with the union. The league is working hard to try to make that happen. I'm sure that the union is as well."


Copyright (C) 2010 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.