really is. So here goes. Darren, you have exceptional athletic ability, and you are arguably one of the finest athletes in Major League Soccer. But you were

It was 10:35am on March 9, 2012. Michael Jordan Jersey . Luke Wileman and I stood in the corridor outside of the Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room at BC Place in Vancouver. Wed been there for a few minutes already. We were early (as we usually are) for the Whitecaps practice, which was scheduled to begin at 11am. There wasnt a soul to be seen outside the dressing room, as all of the players and coaches were already inside preparing for training. The time is etched in my memory because it was then, at 10:35am, that Darren Mattocks came strolling down the hallway. Big headphones blaring, he didnt look like he had a care in the world. He certainly didnt look like a rookie who was late for the last practice before his first game as a professional soccer player. He bowled on by and walked into the dressing room - the last player to arrive by a wide margin. I turned to Luke, completely bewildered by what I had just witnessed, and asked him, "Is he having a laugh?" (Im paraphrasing - my choice of words were far more industrial than that.) "That would NEVER happen in Europe. No chance. The senior players would crucify him for that. And the manager would have him banished to train with the youth team." I couldnt believe what Id seen. In 18 years as a professional player in Canada and the UK, Id never seen a young player show such blatant disrespect for the rules and hierarchy of a football club. First to arrive, last to leave is a principle that all rookies (apart from Mattocks, clearly) adhere to religiously. They do so because they know that they not only have to impress their manager, but more importantly, they have to impress their teammates. They have to earn the respect of the senior players if they are ever going to be considered one of them. You see, experienced players can suss out a fraud in less than one training session, and it doesnt take long for them to figure out if a young player comes with an ego. Those egos dont last very long though, because the senior players simply dont tolerate them. They chip away at the arrogance of youth, exposing flaws until the young player sees the light; that they arent the finished article and that they have to work hard if they are ever going to fulfill their potential. It is a humbling that involves brutal honesty, but it teaches young players humility and mental resiliency - two vital ingredients in having a lengthy professional career. That humbling clearly hasnt happened for Darren Mattocks. He has been allowed to live in the bubble that he has created for himself - one in which he thinks hes already the finished article. Mattocks spoke on a Jamaican football program this week, where he revealed that he "carried Vancouver to the playoffs last year" and that "every team in MLS wants me". On former head coach Martin Rennie, Mattocks said this, "If me can do successful [sic] with my first season, and in my second season, you will try to jeopardize my career, Im not naive and Im not gonna stay (in Vancouver)." His responses were as brazen and as arrogant as Ive ever seen. You could write Mattocks attitude off to his youth, but he is 23-years old. Its not like he is a baby in the world of football. Hes a grown man, at an age where his European counterparts will have already amassed 150+ first team games. You could also argue that someone has been filling his head with ideas of grandeur, leading him to believe that he really is the world-class striker that he imagines himself to be. But these arguments are nothing more than excuses. They wont help Darren Mattocks. What he needs is some tough love. What he needs is for someone to hold a mirror in front of his game, so that he can see himself for the player that he really is. So here goes. Darren, you have exceptional athletic ability, and you are arguably one of the finest athletes in Major League Soccer. But you were voted the top prospect in MLS under the age of 24 last year because of your potential, not because you are the finished article. You are a 23-year old man, but you have the football intelligence of a 15-year-old boy. You are reactive, rather than proactive, and you use your pace and athleticism to make up for the fact that you are often in the wrong position to begin with. The timing of your runs is poor, your finishing is poor, and you do not retain possession of the ball nearly well enough to be considered amongst the leagues best. You did not play a starring role this season because you simply didnt earn the right to do so. You are judged on everything you do - in training, in games, in your demeanour on and off the field - not just on your statistics. Unless you realize this, you will never be in a position to fulfill your undoubted potential. Unless you realize this, you will become just another player who failed to live up to his potential. The choice is yours, Darren. You can carry on believing that it was Martin Rennies fault that you had a poor season. But youd be wrong. You are the only reason you struggled this year. If anything, Martin tried to protect you from the things Ive just told you, because Im not alone in my assessment of your game. Many of the senior players in your dressing room think the exact same things. And I suspect that now that Martin is gone, youll be hearing it from them very soon. For your sake, I hope you listen to them. Wendell Carter Jr. Jersey . Winners of two straight, the Flames will try to become the first team in 25 years to go three consecutive games without taking a penalty Saturday night in San Jose. Lauri Markkanen Jersey .5 million, two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, a deal that covers his final two arbitration seasons. http://www.cheapbullsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-omer-asik-jersey . They have homered once every 27.3 at bats, which just happens to be the third best mark in the American League, albeit just 10 games into the season.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Rex Ryans first full day on the job as Buffalo Bills coach featured a much anticipated switch of co-ordinators.Greg Roman was hired to run the offence, and Jim Schwartz is out as defensive co-ordinator in a pair of moves announced by the team Tuesday afternoon.Both decisions did not come as a surprise under Ryan, who arrived in Buffalo earlier in the day.Schwartz and Roman were among 12 candidates interviewed by the Bills to replace coach Doug Marrone, who stepped down abruptly on Dec. 31.Schwartz is now free to pursue other jobs after his contract was terminated. The former Detroit Lions coach spent one season in Buffalo, where he played a significant role in helping the Bills defence lead the NFL with 54 sacks, finish fourth in yards allowed and produce three Pro Bowl linemen.Ryan is a defensive specialist, and has traditionally used an attacking three-lineman, four-linebacker alignment. That differs from Schwartz, who preferred going with a 4-3 alignment that didnt rely on much blitzing.I wanted to give Jim the opportunity to pursue other opportunities, and so we have terminated his contract, Ryan said in a statement released by the Bills. He did a terrific job with the Bills defence this past year, and our plan is for our defence to continue to play well and be a dominating force.Ryan, who was fired after six seasons with the New York Jets, is expected to hire a number of members of his former defensive staff, includingg co-ordinator Dennis Thurman. Justin Holiday Jersey. The switch means the Bills defence will be led by a fifth co-ordinator in as many seasons.Schwartz was highly popular among Bills players, including veteran tackle Kyle Williams.Following the season, Williams said he intended to chain (Schwartz) to a car in the parking lot to prevent the co-ordinator from leaving.As for Roman, he had been in talks to become the Bills offensive co-ordinator since Ryan tentatively agreed to a contract on Sunday.Roman spent the previous four seasons serving as the San Francisco 49ers offensive co-ordinator. His status in San Francisco was uncertain after coach Jim Harbaugh left to coach Michigan.Roman and Ryan share a similar run-first philosophy. In San Francisco, the 49ers running attack ranked in the NFLs top 10 in each of the past four seasons.Roman and Ryan also previously worked together as assistants with the Baltimore Ravens in 2006 and 2007.He replaces Nathaniel Hackett, who was not expected to be retained after two seasons in Buffalo. Hackett was one of a number of Marrones assistants at Syracuse, who followed their coach to Buffalo in January 2013.The Bills offence struggled under Hackett. After finishing 19th in the NFL in yards offence in 2013, Buffalo dropped to 26th this past season.Ryan is scheduled to be formally introduced as the Bills coach during a news conference Wednesday.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap Steelers Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Cheap Bears Jerseys Cheap Eagles Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Cheap Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys ' ' '