Redskins S Jordan Bernstine hurt his right knee

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Y.A. Tittle 49ers Jersey . — Will Smith is getting ready for the season as if he wasnt facing suspension for the first four games. Hes still getting sacks. The fourth-leading sacker in New Orleans history crunched Tom Brady from behind, forcing a fumble in the first quarter of the New England Patriots 7-6 exhibition win over the Saints on Thursday night. “No,” Smith said when asked if hes preparing any differently than if he had avoided punishment in his teams bounty scandal. “Preseasons the same. Got to work hard. Jobs always on the line, so got to go out and compete.” Once the regular season starts, interim coach Joe Vitt said, Smith, with 61 1-2 sacks in eight seasons, will be missed. “Youre going to miss anybody with the talent of Will Smith,” said Vitt, who faces his own suspension for the first six regular-season games. “Wills a heck of a player. Hes a heck of a leader.” The defence for the Saints (No. 9 in the AP Pro32) gave up just one touchdown, but the Patriots (No. 2) were better, allowing a pair of field goals in their exhibition opener. “We held them to six points, so thats always good,” said safety Patrick Chung, who had one of the Patriots two interceptions. “Its always feels good to get an interception. Its just preseason but youve still got to make plays.” John Kasay had a chance to give the Saints the lead, but his 41-yard field goal attempt went wide to the right with 3:07 left. The game followed two days of joint practices between the teams and was the first for the Patriots since their 21-17 loss in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. Brady left after two series and 15 plays — plus two holding penalties against new left tackle Nate Solder — and banged his helmet on the ground in anger when he returned to the bench. He finished with four completions in seven attempts for 30 yards and the 11-yard sack from which he got up slowly on his first possession. Smith came around the left tackle position filled by Solder after Matt Light retired. “Im just getting more comfortable there,” said Solder, a first-round draft pick last year. “A lot of us (on the offensive line) are still young. It takes time to get the timing down.” New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees also played two series, lasting just six plays. He was 1 of 4 for 4 yards in his second exhibition game. In last Sundays 17-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame game, Brees was 4 for 5 for 41 yards on his only drive, resulting in a touchdown. “I am not disappointed one bit with the first unit offence,” Vitt said. “We treated last week sort of like a scrimmage … and so this was our first preseason game.” Second-year running back Shane Vereen was a bright spot for the Patriots as he and Stevan Ridley compete for playing time as replacements for BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who signed with Cincinnati. On the first series of the third quarter, Vereen gained 62 yards on seven carries and caught a 10-yard pass. The drive covered 97 yards, capped by Brian Hoyers 3-yard scoring pass to Britt Davis, a long shot to make the team at the crowded wide receiver position. Vereen rushed for only 57 yards all last season when injuries limited him to five games and 15 rushes. “I was excited because its been so long since I played, with the injuries and everything,” he said. “It felt good to be out there running.” Another Patriots injury could be more serious. Linebacker Dane Fletcher, who started five games last season, was hurt covering a punt in the first quarter. NFL Network reported he tore an anterior cruciate ligament, but there was no official word from the Patriots. “Hes really helped me a lot,” said veteran linebacker Bobby Carpenter, in his first season with New England. “Hopefully, hell be all right.” Replacement officials had a relatively uneventful game. They did call an offside penalty on a punt that allowed the Patriots to continue their first series. The Saints were penalized later for running into punter Zoltan Mesko, although the Patriots again failed to capitalize and punted again. The Saints only points came on a 46-yard field goal by Kasay on the possession after Curtis Lofton recovered Bradys fumble, and a 27-yarder by Garrett Hartley on the first play of the fourth quarter. But New Orleans also played pretty good defence, starting with Smiths strip sack. “We knew going into the game that they were just going to give us basic protection, so we just wanted to get a good rush, a four-man rush,” he said. “Weve been working on it all camp. Got a good angle on him and got him down.” Notes: The Saints gained 280 yards, one more than the Patriots. … Courtney Roby had five receptions for New Orleans. The special teams stalwart has six catches in his seven regular seasons. … Boston Celtics G Rajon Rondo attended the game. So did Charley Molnar, new coach of the University of Massachusetts, whose team will play all its home games at Gillette Stadium for the first time this year under a five-year deal. UMass is moving to the Mid-American Conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision from the Colonial Athletic Association in the Football Championship Subdivision. Colin Kaepernick Red Jersey .S. Olympic mens basketball team has a treasure trove of information on its opponents. Colin Kaepernick Pink Jersey . New York moved a game ahead of Baltimore in the division on Monday and can secure its second straight and 12th AL East crown in the last 15 years with a victory on Tuesday coupled with an Orioles loss to Tampa Bay. The Yankees exploded for nine runs in the second inning of Mondays opener against the hapless Red Sox and got eight strong innings from CC Sabathia in a 10-2 rout.http://www.shopthe49erssuperbowljerseys.com/jerry-rice-jersey . Bob de Klerk leaves his post as first assistant coach to become the MLS franchises newly minted technical manager. The Dutchman will do everything from advance and international scouting, to being the bridge between the academy and the first team, and working one-on-one with young players. Mike Iupati Womens Jersey . Canadas top two heavyweights will square-off with an MFC title shot at stake when undefeated hotshot Smealinho Rama meets rising star Mike “The Honey Badger” Hackert on Friday, Feb. Frank Gore Authentic Jersey . The latest fighter sidelined is Brazilian middleweight Luiz Cane, who was slated to meet Japans Yushin Okami at UFC 150, set for Aug. NEW ORLEANS — Robert Griffin III lifted his head from the Superdome turf so he could witness the fruits of his sacrifice, then raised both arms in the air as he began to sit up. Although the Redskins rookie can scramble with the best of them, he decided against dancing away from blitzing Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins, electing instead to wait until the moment before impact to deliver the throw he was supposed to make. The result was an 88-yard connection with Pierre Garcon that gave Griffin his first NFL touchdown and set Washington on the path to a season-opening 40-32 upset of New Orleans on Sunday. Making a slew of clutch plays, Griffin sustained drives and helped Washington dominate time of possession, 39:10 to 20:50. Well-rested Redskins defenders liked what they saw. “He lived up to all of the hype. Hes as good as advertised,” Washington linebacker Ryan Kerrigan said. “I mean, how many great plays did he make out there?” Quite a few. Griffin completed his first eight passes and finished 19 of 26 with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 139.9. He also scrambled for 42 yards. The ball Griffin threw for his first TD was given to him after the game, and the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor cradled it while talking about what it meant to him to play so well in his NFL debut and have Saints quarterback Drew Brees congratulate him after the game. “You can win a high school state championship and a bowl game in college, but to play in the NFL, the pinnacle of it all, and win your first game against a Hall of Famer in Drew Brees, its at the top,” Griffin said. “After the game, (Brees) told me he was proud of me. Thats big for him to say after he just lost the game.” New Orleans hoped to open the season with a defiant show of force in the wake of the bounty scandal that overshadowed its off-season. The Saints also got a boost Friday when a three-member appeals panel reinstated defensive end Will Smith and linebacker Jon Vilma, who had been suspended for their roles in the Saints alleged pay-for-pain bounty program. Smith started, while Vilma, deemed unfit to play after off-season knee surgery, received a rousing ovation when he walked onto the field to lead the Saints traditional pregame “Who-dat” chant. Instead of riding that emotional high, the Saints spent much of the game trying to keep up with a Redskins offence powered by youth. Griffins second touchdownn pass went for 5 yards to receiver Aldrick Robinson, a second-year pro making his NFL regular-season debut. Kyle Williams Jersey. Rookie Alfred Morris rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns, the first set up by safety Roman Harpers pass interference penalty in the end zone and the second set up by DeJon Gomes fourth-quarter interception, which he returned to the 4-yard line. Brees quickly dismissed the idea that disruptions from the bounty probe, which resulted in a season-long suspension for coach and offensive mastermind Sean Payton, was to blame for New Orleans shaky start. “Not at all. Its the NFL. You better bring it every week,” Brees said. “We knew the type of team they were. We knew the type of defence they were. They just came in and played better than we did, made fewer mistakes than we did, made more plays than we did.” In fact, Brees expectations for the rest of the season were undiminished. “We lost the first game of the year last year and finished 13-3,” Brees said. “So theres no doubt that we can do it.” Brees still finished with 339 yards and three touchdowns, including scoring passes of 33 yards to Lance Moore and 20 yards to Jimmy Graham and 2 yards to Darren Sproles. The Saints also scored a less conventional TD when Martez Wilson blocked Sav Roccas punt deep in Redskins territory and Courtney Roby scooped up the ball to make it 20-14 shortly before halftime. Sproles score with 2:25 left in the game pulled the Saints back within a TD and 2-point conversion, and the Saints got the ball one last time with 22 second to go, but Brees desperation pass was intercepted by Reed Doughty near the Redskins goal line as time ran out. That marked the second interception for Brees, who in 2011 completed a single-season record 71.2 per cent of his passes, but managed to hit on only 46 per cent (24 of 52) against Washington. “That makes you angry,” Brees said, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head. “Were better than that and were going to be better than that.” NOTES: Saints CB Johnny Patrick hurt his right leg breaking up a pass in the second quarter. … WR Devery Henderson left the game in the second half after taking a shot to the head. … Saints LB Scott Shanle left the game with an unspecified leg injury. … Garcon went out with a right foot injury. … Redskins S Jordan Bernstine hurt his right knee on kick coverage. ‘ ‘ ‘

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