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BUFFALO, N. Fergie Jenkins Authentic Jersey .Y. -- Contract talks between the Bills and safety Jairus Byrd were at a standstill on Sunday, a day before Buffalo faces a deadline to apply the franchise tag on the three-time Pro Bowl selection. People familiar with the situation told The Associated Press talks have stalled and no further discussions are scheduled after the Bills made a lucrative, multiyear offer to Byrd. Without revealing the full value and length of the offer, one person said Byrd would have been paid about $30 million over the contracts first three seasons. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because neither side has publicly discussed negotiations. Unless a deal is reached, the Bills have until 4 p.m. Monday to apply the franchise tag on Byrd and retain the players rights before he would be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on March 11. The Bills took that approach last off-season, which led to Byrd playing under a one-year, $6.9 million franchise tag. The price for Buffalo to do so again would increase to about $8.4 million this year. Byrd has been Buffalos best defensive back since being selected in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Oregon. He enjoyed a breakout season as a rookie, when he finished tied for the NFL lead with nine interceptions -- a rookie franchise record. Last year, Byrd finished tied for the team lead with four interceptions, and added a sack and a forced fumble despite missing the entire off-season before reporting to the team in late August, when he accepted his one-year contract. Byrd then missed the first five games of the season because of plantar fasciitis in both feet. Despite the time he missed, Byrd still earned his third Pro Bowl selection. Byrd has 22 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles in 73 career games. Ernie Banks Authentic Jersey . -- Amid stories about Jeremy Lin and the upcoming all-star game, the Detroit Pistons have quietly become one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Andre Dawson Jersey . Ames was unanimously named for induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday, becoming the 74th member of the countrys golfs shrine.CHICAGO - Henry Sims can see the growth and hes not referring to the stack of losses. The Philadelphia 76ers skid continued and so did their march toward the wrong kind of record. They have dropped 24 straight after losing 91-81 to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. But Sims can at least see some positives. "Were learning to play better with each other," he said. "Were learning to make better decisions down the stretch. Were growing right now, and thats the main focus right now. The games we have left, we want to keep growing." They wouldnt mind stopping the losing streak, either, but the Bulls werent about to let that happen. Joakim Noah finished with 20 points, Jimmy Butler scored 17, and Chicago handed the 76ers yet another loss to put them within two of the NBA record. The Sixers moved ahead of the Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-96), Denver Nuggets (1997-98) and Charlotte Bobcats (2011-12) for the second-longest, single-season losing streak. The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped 26 during the 2010-11 season, and Philadelphia would have to pull off an upset to avoid tying that. The next two games are at San Antonio and Houston. Drop them, and the Sixers could set the record at home against Detroit on March 29, particularly if they continue to shoot like this from the outside. They missed their first 18 3-pointers and were threatening a league record before Byron Mullens made one early in the fourth. They wound up going 1 for 20. The mark for most 3-point attempts in a game without a conversion is 15. "We were 1 for 20 — what do you say?" coach Brett Brown asked. "Its going to be hard. I thought our defence was really quite good. Its always going to be hard if you cant make perimeter shots. This group has struggled doing that, and so, finding wins and finding ways to stay in games is always going to be a challenge." Despite that, they hung in until Taj Gibson buried a jumper and D.J. Augustin nailed a 3 with 2:30 remaining. That mmade it 91-79 and sealed the win for the Bulls, who moved into a tie for third in the Eastern Conference with Toronto. Welington Castillo Cubs Jersey. Noah and Butler each had eight rebounds, with Butler dishing out six assists. Gibson came on strong in the fourth quarter to finish with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Augustin added 16 points and six assists, and the Bulls came away with the win after losing at Indiana the previous night. "Its tough," he said. "(The 76ers) come out and they have nothing to lose. Basically, they just come out shooting whenever they feel and some of those shots go in. Its hard for anybody to play against a team thats losing, but theyre still a good team at the same time." Thaddeus Young scored 28 for Philadelphia despite missing seven 3-pointers. Sims added 18 points and 15 rebounds, but the Sixers remained winless since Jan. 29. It didnt help that they were missing Tony Wroten, one of their few bright spots in this lost season. He sprained his right ankle in Fridays one-point loss at home to the New York Knicks and did not travel with the team. "Theres a win in this group," Brown said. "We will continue to fight and continue to stay together. Im just thrilled, Im proud of their ability, their character, to stay together in whats clearly difficult times." Notes: Brown said Wroten will miss all three games on the trip. ... Brown had high praise for Noah before the game, saying he hopes Nerlens Noel develops like him. "Every time I see Joakim, I hope I see what were going to get in Nerlens," Brown said. "Hes one of the prime examples I point to as we try and groom a young player." Noel was taken with the sixth pick in the draft last spring despite a torn ACL in his left knee. He has not played this season. ... Houston (at Orlando, March 30, 1991), Golden State (against Indiana, Dec. 6, 1996) and Milwaukee (against Phoenix, Jan. 22, 2002) share the record for 3s attempted without a conversion in a game. ' ' ' |
