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METAIRIE, La. Brandon Moss Jersey . -- Roland "Champ" Bailey, who turns 36 next month, figures theres no use trying to fool anyone -- least of all himself -- about his age. As of now, hes the oldest every-down player on New Orleans roster; place kicker Shayne Graham is his only elder teammate. "If you put me on any team, Im always going to be the old guy," Bailey said. "Its just something Ive got to get used to." Preferring to avoid comparisons to the player he was several years ago, Baily is focusing on what he can do in 2014. Thats when the Saints relatively young and partly overhauled secondary will need his leadership, veteran savvy, and still formidable play-making skills. "One thing I dont want to do is look back or look too far ahead. Im taking care of whats in front of me. Thats getting in shape and getting to know my guys," Bailey said. "My first thing is to lead by example, show how hard I can work and try to lead that way. And all these guys -- I know I have a lot of experience and Im not going to shy away from telling them things I think they need to hear and making sure Im there for them when they have questions." Now entering his 16th NFL season, Bailey has been named to 12 Pro Bowls. His 52 career interceptions are the most among active players. He was among the more high-profile free-agent additions New Orleans made this off-season, along with safety Jairus Byrd. Unlike Bailey, Byrd is in the prime of his career, entering his sixth season with three Pro Bowls and 22 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles already to his name. Also unlike Bailey, Byrd was not available to participate in voluntary off-season practices this week because of back surgery. Coach Sean Payton said Byrds procedure to address a nagging problem with a disc should not sideline the safety beyond the start of training camp. "Its something that didnt need to be done, but both he and ourselves felt like it would be something that would prevent any issues in the fall," Payton said. "Our guess would be that well be real cautious ... and then hell start up training camp with no problem." Bailey, who last season missed 11 games with a left foot injury, said he feels good now, and backed it up with his performance on the field. During 11-on-11 drills, Bailey made a leaping breakup of Luke McCowns pass intended for Andy Tanner along the sideline. Later, Bailey tipped McCowns slant pass intended for Kenny Stills, resulting in an interception by linebacker Kyle Knox. "He looks fantastic," defensive co-ordinator Rob Ryan said. "You look out there and you think hes one of those young guys running around. But hes bringing excitement to our defence and knowledge and its awesome to add a great player like him." Quarterback Drew Brees recalled throwing an interception that Bailey returned for a 25-yard touchdown in 2005, when Brees was with San Diego and Bailey with Denver. The Broncos came back to win that game in large part because of Baileys play, and Brees said Baileys play-making was why game plans included "no-throw zones," whenever Denver was the opponent. "Certain routes, certain areas of the field, you just knew: Dont even think about it. Its not worth it," Brees recalled. The Saints hope Bailey will still come up with such plays while mentoring younger cornerbacks including 2010 first-round pick Patrick Robinson, who missed most of last season with a knee injury; rookie Stanley Jean-Baptiste, a second round pick; and third-year cornerback Corey White. Even Keenan Lewis, the Saints top cornerback, could benefit from Baileys presence. "Theres so much value in having a guy like that," Brees said. "Not only what he can teach our young guys, but just hes still and extremely productive player. ... He wouldnt have chosen the New Orleans Saints if he didnt think we had a legitimate shot here -- and that he could help us." Notes: In addition to Byrd, those missing practice included DT John Jenkins, DE Tyrunn Walker, WR Joseph Morgan and WR Brandin Cooks. Cooks was excused to finish the school year at Oregon State. Payton declined to address the conditions of Jenkins, Walker or Morgan, though Morgan wore a sleeve his left knee, which he injured last training camp, putting him out for the season. Coco Crisp Athletics Jersey . Gretzky was asked if he believes Montreal Canadiens defenceman PK Subban should be on Canadas blueline in February at the Sochi Olympics. "Im not going to get in the middle of that controversy because Stevie Yzerman obviously knows what hes doing, he won a gold medal in 2010," said Gretzky. Joe Morgan Athletics Jersey . Now Samardzija has his second win in three starts for a team trying to turn around its season. Samardzija tossed seven solid innings, Junior Lake hit two home runs and Emilio Bonifacio added a two-run shot as the Cubs extended their winning streak to five with a 5-2 victory over the Miami Marlins on Saturday.ORLANDO, Fla. -- When Magic coach Jacque Vaughn was asked about his teams noticeable win discrepancy this season in games at home versus on the road, he likened their home floor to feeling like a "fluffed pillow" for his young team. It found that warm embrace again, this time at the expense of a team fighting for its playoff positioning. Tobias Harris had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Orlando beat the Portland Trail Blazers 95-85 on Tuesday night to stop a nine-game losing streak. Nik Vucevic added 22 points and 10 boards for the Magic, who led by just eight at the half but used scoring spurts in the third and fourth quarters to put the game away. Victor Oladipo had 13 points and six assists. Orlando improved to 16-18 at home, compared to 4-34 on the road. "When you play on the road its a lot different," Harris said. "Their crowd gives them energy just like our crowd does. We know we have to get better on the road, but were playing good at home and tonight was a good win for us." The Magic earned their fifth victory against a Western Conference team, but just their third over one that entered the night in position to make the playoffs. Orlando previously posted wins against the Clippers and Thunder in the Amway Center. The Magic also matched their win total for all of last season with nine games remaining. "I was really pleased with the mental focus that we had from the beginning of the game, to come out and not use being on the West Coast as an excuse," Vaughn said. "It was impressive to hold that team to 85 points." Robin Lopez led Portland with 20 points and 13 rebounds. The Blazers, who entered the night in fifth place in the West, have lost three straight. They were without forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who missed his seventh consecutive game with a lower back contusion. After getting blown out at Charlotte on Saturday, the Blazers rebounded and showed lots of fight in nearly upending defending champion Miami on Monday night. They didnt seem to have anything left at times against Orlando, which went right at Portlands front line. The Magic outscored the Blazzers 46-44 in the paint. Tony Phillips Athletics Jersey. Portland coach Terry Stotts said before the game that the tight playoff race in the West dictated a need to "accumulate wins where we can get them." He acknowledged afterward that they missed one of those opportunities against the Magic. "This is a very, extremely disappointing loss and in fact it was a game we needed to have," Stotts said. "Weve got 10 games left. Theres got to be a sense of urgency every game. Playoff race is tight. Wed like to look forward, but weve got four teams that are right on our heels, and every game has a new sense of urgency." The Magic closed the third quarter on an 11-2 run and increased their lead to 19 in the opening minutes of the fourth. Harris was the most active player for Orlando in the final quarter, scoring eight points. The Blazers were finally able to string together some baskets and cut the lead down to 11 points on a 3-pointer by Wesley Matthews with 2:31 to play. But the Magic were able to close out the game from the foul line. Orlando took an eight-point lead into halftime after shooting 50 per cent from the field in the first half. Vucevic led the scoring effort with 14 points. The Magic also had 10 assists on their 21 baskets, including four from Oladipo. Lopez scored 10 first-half points for Portland, which shot just 40 per cent from the field. The Blazers also struggled from the foul line, connecting on only 2 of their 12 attempts. The victory aside, Vaughn said there wont be any heavy focus on wins or losses for his team the rest of the way. "Have not mentioned one time what our record is to the team," he said. "What I do mention to those guys, and (will) when we practice on Thursday, is lets come to work and get better. Thats how well continue to judge each other and continue to push each other." NOTES: Orlando improved to 5-24 against the Western Conference. ... The Magic honoured Grant Hill between the first and second quarter as part of their "Legends Nights" season-long series to honour former players as part of the teams 25th anniversary season celebration. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
