Lustiges und Witziges! » I cant blame anyone but me. Its up to me to find

ARLINGTON, Texas - Two questions are at the heart of Andrew Lucks first game against the Dallas Cowboys in the Indianapolis quarterbacks visit to his home state.Will NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray play with the Cowboys needing to win at least one, if not both, of their final two games to end a four-year playoff drought?And what exactly are Luck and the Colts playing for Sunday with their post-season spot secure, but not a great chance to improve their seeding?First things first: Murray, who has 1,687 yards rushing and needs 87 to break NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smiths franchise record of 1,773.The fourth-year running back went through some individual drills in the first day of practice Wednesday after breaking the bone above the ring finger in his left hand in last weeks 38-27 win at Philadelphia.The victory gave Dallas sole possession of first place in the NFC East. He had protective padding on the hand.Really what we want to do is just see how he responded to that work that he did today and then see how he is as the week progresses, and hopefully he can be functional for the ballgame, coach Jason Garrett said. If he cant be, we wont allow him to play, and if he can, well give him a chance.As big as the win against the Eagles was, it wont mean much if the Cowboys (10-4) lose either to the Colts or Washington in the finale and Philadelphia beats the New York Giants and Redskins, also-rans in the division. In that scenario, Dallas is thrown into a wild-card mix with generally unfavourable tiebreakers.We try not to think of it in those terms, Tony Romo said. We just think of it as one game at a time, playing for everything each week. And weve done it two weeks in a row, weve got a third one to go do, and after that one, well start over again.The Colts (10-4) wrapped up the AFC South with last weeks 17-10 win over Houston and need help trying to catch either New England or Denver for a first-round bye in the playoffs. But Indianapolis isnt taking kindly to the word tuneup.Were not taking our foot off the pedal by any means, said Luck, who plays in his hometown of Houston every year. Theres a lot on this game. I know were fired up for it.Things to consider in the first meeting between these teams since 2010, when Romo was out with a broken collarbone but the Cowboys beat Peyton Manning anyway:WHAT ABOUT HILTON? Perhaps the biggest decision for the Colts with their post-season spot secure is whether to play T.Y. Hilton, who is fourth in the NFL with 1,345 yards receiving. Hes nursing a hamstring injury and didnt practice Wednesday. I want to be at 100 per cent giving it my all, but nobodys 100 per cent during this time of year, Hilton said. So if Im 60, 70, Im out there.MURRAYS BLOCKERS: The Cowboys could be without both starters on the right side of their offensive line in tackle Doug Free and rookie guard Zack Martin, who grew up in Indianapolis. Both are battling ankle injuries, and Free also has an issue with his left foot after missing three games earlier this season with a broken right foot.LUCKS MIND GAMES? A story came out this week describing how Luck sometimes compliments opposing players after getting sacked. Dallas defensive end Jeremy Mincey said he experienced it as an AFC South rival in Jacksonville. He kind of got to me by saying, That was excellent, said Mincey, who had two sacks last weekend against the Eagles. Im like, Dude, dont talk to me. Please. But I respect him so much.DEZ ON A ROLL: Dallas receiver Dez Bryant had a career-high three touchdowns against Philadelphia to take over the NFL lead in TDs receiving at 13. He needs 235 yards in the final two games to beat his career high of 1,382 yards receiving in 2012. Hes a nightmare, Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. Hes a combination of size, athleticism and speed. But his competitive nature and his drive and his passion for the game and for his team and for winning is second to none.HOME SOUR HOME: The Cowboys are 7-0 on the road and could go 8-0 for the first time in franchise history with a victory at last-place Washington in next weeks regular-season finale. On the flip side, theyre at risk of a losing record at home if they cant beat the Colts. Im just really not sure what the difference is at home and away, centre Travis Frederick said. I would love to know so that we could fix it. But I dont.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuyler Joel Iyiegbuniwe Jersey .Carla Fontes hadnt cut her hair since intermediate school, but her coach at Waiakea High School, Stan Haraguchi, thought the locks flowing below her waist were interfering with the sport. Deon Bush Jersey . According to a report from the Hamilton Spectator, Infrastructure Ontario has informed the City of Hamilton and the Tiger-Cats the stadium may not be ready by the June 30 deadline. http://www.cheapbearsjerseysauthentic.co...us-lucas-jersey. Dalton completed his only pass and led the Bengals to a touchdown in his only drive -- one that took four minutes to finish -- and the Cincinnati Bengals ended the preseason with a 27-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night. Taylor Gabriel Jersey . -- Zach Johnson is like most players at the World Challenge, not sure whether hes still playing in 2013 or if hes in the middle of the new wraparound season that officially started in October. Kevin Pierre-Louis Jersey . Every. Single. Game. Thats 1,230 in total to cover the regular season. The man is Corey Sznajder, a soft-spoken 23-year-old Salisbury University grad who lives in Annapolis, Maryland and has been charting zone entries and zone exits throughout the NHL. I love big projects, he said. No kidding. At the 2013 Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, I met Eric Tulsky, who presented research on the value of controlled zone entries (short answer: about twice as valuable to enter with control of the puck rather than dumping it in) and Sznajder had charted a couple hundred games that were included in that study.TORONTO – Stephane Robidas isnt making any excuses. Not about the more than five months of rehab and recovery from another broken right leg. Not about missing training camp. Not about the one exhibition game he was able to play before making his Maple Leafs debut. Not about the quality of competition. Not about the challenge of revving the engine back up after such a significant injury at the crisp old age of 37. Its up to me, said Robidas after his team squeaked out an overtime win against the Avalanche on Tuesday night. Its my job to get ready and be a good player for this team and help this team. Im not doing that right now. Its something Im going to work on and Ill get back to where I should be. Robidas is feeling fine physically – great most days he says – but theres a sharpness to his game thats lacking right now and he knows it. Whether its making the wrong read or the wrong pass or getting beat for a puck that should be his – Sidney Crosbys first goal in a Saturday night loss to Pittsburgh – theres an element thats not there right now. Perhaps its the predictable rust of a player who spent nine months in less than a years time recovering from two different knee injuries, including the longest stretch from mid-April until the point of his exhibition debut on Oct. 3. Robidas wont go there though, that would be an excuse. Its not easy doing what hes doing – we know that, said head coach Randy Carlyle prior to Tuesdays game. He missed a good part of training camp [and] he only got to play one exhibition game so all those things are hurdles that he has to overcome in this situation. And its not like were hiding him in our lineup, hes playing and hes playing big minutes and hes playing up against some of the oppositions best lines. Or at least that was the case until Tuesday evening. Robidas had been playing with Dion Phaneuf on the teams top pairing for the first three games of the regular season, but against the Avalanche, he was shifted onto the third unit with second-year defender, Morgan Rielly. And while Carlyle said the move was more about the performance of Cody Franson on Sunday, its evident that the real aim was to lighten the load and pressure on Robidas. Its a wise move given the circumstance. Robidas didnt look sharp against Colorado. He was forced to take a penalty on the very first shift of the game and nearly cost the Leafs a chance at victory when he gave the puck away to Matt Duchene in the final frame of regulation – Duchene failed to score on the breakaway – with his team trailing by a goal. He finished with less than 14 minutes of ice time for the second time in four games, fewest among the Leafs six defenders. Im always making the wrong read and making the wrong plays or the wrong pass at the wrong time, he said. Im not where I want to be. It was a tough one again tonight for me. I dont know really know how to explain it. Robidas broke his right knee twice in a span of four months last season, a crazy set of bad luck for a player who donned the Dallas Stars uniform proudly for 11 seasons. He was carted off the ice in his last shift for the Stars, reinjuring the knee once more as a Duck against Dallas in the playoffs. Given his age and the severity of the injury, the Leafs took a risk in signing him to a three-year pact this past summer, but were confident that he would overcome the injury and offer the valuable veteran presence they had been lacking on the back-end. He can still be that guy, but its clear it will take some time. Its all the little things that Im not doing right, Robidas concluded. I cant blame anyone but me. Its up to me to find a way to be better. Im going to keep working at it and Ill get better. Five Points 1. Game-Winner Phil Kessel was point-less and totally displeased with his early performance after two games and two losses. Since then, hes scored twice and totaled five points in back-to-back wins, including the Leafs first on home-ice Tuesday. He beat Semyon Varlamov five-hole in overtime for his 37th career game-winning goal. Hes a dynamic player, said Joffrey Lupul of Kessel. You can not notice him for a stretch of time and then he gets the puck with speed and has an ability to change a game in a matter of seconds. Not many guys in the league have that. 2. Winnik Effect Surely the Leafs best line of the early season is the trio of Nazem Kadri, Joffrey Lupul and Daniel Winnik. The unit dominated possession against Colorado – approaching 70 per cent at even-strength – with Lupul scoring the game-tying goal midway through the final frame. That goal was instigated by Winnik, who pressured Avalanche defender Brad Stuart into turning over the puck in the defensive zone. Winnik, a former member of the Avalanche who spent the past two seasons in Anaheim, has been sneaky good in his early Leafs tenure. He has killed penalties effectively (including more than four miinutes Tuesday) – and has yet to be scored on in four games.dddddddddddd And hes provided a valuable puck-hounding and trustworthy presence alongside Kadri and Lupul. Hes had a good effect on the whole team, said Lupul. Hes a veteran that knows what to do in the big situation, any situation really. Winnik currently boasts an even-strength possession rating that exceeds 60 per cent, amongst the best on the team through four games. 3. Healthy Scratch Two seasons ago – during the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign – Jake Gardiner, then struggling through his second NHL season, was made a healthy scratch on 10 different occasions. He was scratched twice last year and again, for the second straight game, on Tuesday night. This happens, Gardiner said Tuesday morning. Its happened to me a few times before. It happens to everybody. You cant play great all the time. Just rebound the next time I get an opportunity. Those are coachs decisions that you have to deal with, Carlyle said. We feel that we have a quality hockey player that can play to a higher level and he agrees with that. So to me, thats end of story. Theres a history of disconnect between player and organization here, stemming from a stream of trade rumours, trips to the Marlies, lineup decisions and performance. The 24-year-old also just started a new five-year contract worth more than $20 million, a real show of faith to someone who wondered about his future in Toronto previously. Carlyle insists hes just sticking to the philosophy of meritocracy pushed at training camp, but theres a careful line he has to walk between alienating Gardiner and guiding him along in what the Leafs hope will be a fruitful career. 4. Jumping into the NHL Now 324 games into his NHL career, Cody Franson offered a detailed perspective on the challenges of jumping into the league as a young defenceman – much like 21-year-old Stuart Percy: If youre a defensive guy youre going to notice how quick and strong and shifty players are. When youre in the minors you can push guys around a little bit, youre playing against some younger kids sometimes and guys that arent at that [NHL] calibre. And then when you try to be a defensive guy in the NHL youre playing against guys like Datsyuk and Crosby, Malkin, and all those guys who can do unlimited things with the puck while being extremely strong on it. You cant just manpower them. If youre a defensive guy youll notice that. And if youre an offensive-minded guy youll notice how one little mistake can end up in the back of your net. You have to be very smart with the puck in this league. You really have to pick your spots; you cant just go, go, go. When you do that in the minors you can get away with things here and there. Obviously in that league theres guys that arent quite at this calibre and you might be able to get away with a turnover here or there, but here more times than not it ends up in your net. Percy played nearly 24 minutes against the Avalanche, trailing only Dion Phaneuf among Leafs. 5. First Week in the NHL Just about through his first week in the NHL, training camp sensation Brandon Kozun has learned a few things about life in the top league. I think the biggest thing that stands out is the pace, he said. The pace definitely is a step higher. Thats something that Ive had to adjust to. But I think overall that helps me. Playing at a higher pace forces me to keep my feet moving and when Im doing that Im most effective. Kozun, who started the year with Kadri and Lupul before moving to the teams fourth unit, is looking to shoot the puck more often as his rookie campaign rolls on. He had two attempts on goal in the opener – one leading to a goal from Kadri – but hasnt landed a shot on goal since. His NHL audition continues. The Leafs are closely evaluating the 24-year-old, intent on determining whether he can sustain his energetic presence and effect against the games top talent. Though he played just under six minutes Tuesday, Kozun did make his presence felt late against the Avalanche. His pressure on a third period penalty kill forced a holding penalty on Alex Tanguay, one that led to a dangerous power-play for the Leafs which Carlyle labeled the turning point of the teams first home win. Stats-Pack 23:34 – Ice-time for Stuart Percy on Tuesday, second-most among the Leafs. 6 – Points through four games for Tyler Bozak, including a pair versus Colorado. 11-16 – Faceoff mark for Nazem Kadri against the Avalanche. 31-12 – Shots advantage for the Leafs over the final two periods. 13:28 – Ice-time for Stephane Robidas on Tuesday. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-5 Season: 29.4 per cent PK: 3-3 Season: 75 per cent Quote of the Night Play better. -Randy Carlyle, on what Jak