Fitkul.cz | Diskuse

od **hongwei28** » pát 02. lis 2018 2:56:29

Steve Sarkisian will return as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator despite a decline in production in his debut 2017 season.

Sarkisian has been the target of criticism as the Falcons Eagles Cheap Jerseys , who lost at Philadelphia in the divisional round of the playoffs last week, fell short of a return trip to the Super Bowl.

Coach Dan Quinn announced Thursday that Sarkisian will return in 2018.

After leading the league in scoring in 2016, the Falcons fell to 15th this season . Quinn said Sarkisian doesn’t deserve the full blame for the offense’s struggles.

”To be clear with you, if this was about one person, that decision already would have been made,” Quinn said, adding he has ”no issue with making changes, no problem with that but I have no interest in making change just for the sake of change.”

The Falcons finished 10-6 in the regular season and won a wild card game at the Los Angeles Rams before the 15-10 loss to the Eagles . The Falcons were scoreless in the second half. Sarkisian’s play-calling was second-guessed when Atlanta couldn’t score after having a first down at the Eagles 9. A fourth-and-2 pass from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones was incomplete.

Sarkisian was hired from Alabama after Kyle Shanahan was hired as San Francisco’s coach. Quinn offered the reminder that Shanahan also faced harsh criticism following is first season leading the offense in 2015. Atlanta led the league with 33.8 points per game in 2016.

”A number of people wanted his head” after the 2015 season, Quinn said. ”What has stayed the same and what I learned during that process is what you’re doing in order to build consistency, you better be consistent.”

Quinn said the struggles on offense were ”not an indication of one play-caller or one player. It’s on all of us.”

Meanwhile, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said reaching an agreement on a contract extension with Ryan will be ”the number one focus” of the offseason.

Ryan is entering the final year of his six-year, $103.75 million contract. He will be 33 next season but is still seen as the team’s long-term starter who, like New England’s Tom Brady, can play to or beyond the age of 40.

”Personally that is my feeling,” Dimitroff said. ”He’s a guy who takes care of his body both on and off the field properly. … And of course we’re fortunate with the way the rules are set up in the league, they’re going to preserve our quarterback, hopefully. Again, we want him to be part of this organization for a long time coming.”

Dimitroff expressed optimism an agreement on Ryan’s contract extension could come quickly.

”I think it’s not going to be that difficult of a negotiation, quite honestly,” he said. ”I think we’re going to be in a good spot with it.”

NOTES: Quinn confirmed special teams coach Keith Armstrong will have a second interview in Arizona’s search for a coach . Quinn said Armstrong ”is terrifically qualified to lead a team.” … Quinn said he is ”in the middle” of his search to replace quarterbacks coach Bush Hamdan, who left to become the offensive coordinator at University of Washington. Among the candidates are longtime NFL assistant coach Greg Knapp, the Falcons’ former offensive coordinator under Jim Mora Customized New York Jets Jerseys , and Jedd Fisch, who was UCLA’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach last season.

—

TORONTO — The Detroit Tigers will start a former Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Saturday afternoon for the second game in a row in another attempt to end a losing streak that has reached 10 games.

Former Blue Jays left-hander Francisco Liriano could not do the job Friday night — allowing three runs in six innings — as the Blue Jays defeated the Tigers 3-2 in the opener of a four-game series at the Rogers Centre.

This time, the former Blue Jay is Matt Boyd (4-6, 4.15 ERA), who will face Toronto right-hander Sam Gaviglio (2-2, 3.98) in the second game of the series.

The Tigers (36-47), who are 13-26 on the road, have lost 10 games in a row for the first time since Sept. 13-22, 2003, the season in which they lost 119 games.

“We had some opportunities, but it’s the same story,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “You pitch really good and you don’t score, or you don’t pitch good enough and it just extends on. The guys are really trying, they’re bothered out there and they’re frustrated. They want to win, the guys are really pushing hard in the dugout, but it’s just not happening right now.”

The Tigers have lost 11 of their past 13 games in Toronto.

The Blue Jays (38-43), who were returning from a 3-4 road trip that easily could have been better, have won nine of their past 10 home games. They are 21-20 at home.

Boyd took the loss Sunday at Cleveland when he allowed six runs, eight hits and two walks while striking out five in three innings.

The start Saturday will be his 16th of the season.

In four career starts against the Blue Jays, Boyd is 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA. He did not factor in the decision June 2 against Toronto at Comerica Park when he gave up four runs, six hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out three.

Boyd, who was sent to the Tigers July 30 Youth John Franklin-Myers Jersey , 2015, as part of the trade that sent David Price to the Blue Jays, is 0-3 with an 8.66 ERA in four career starts at the Rogers Centre.

Gaviglio will be making his 10th appearance and eighth start of the season.

In his past three starts, he is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA and has pitched only 12 innings.

He has faced the Tigers once in his career, allowing two runs in five innings in a no decision.

The Tigers have been outscored 64-26 during their losing streak.

Before the game Friday, the Blue Jays selected the contract of utility player Darnell Sweeney from Triple-A Buffalo. He was batting .232 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 47 games. He has played all infield positions except first base, both corner outfield positions and also pitched a scoreless inning.

Sweeney takes the roster spot of outfielder Steve Pearce, who was traded Thursday night to the Boston Red Sox for shortstop Santiago Espinal, who will play at Class A Dunedin.

Moving Pearce means that Kendrys Morales will again see regular use as the designated hitter and breaks up a logjam in the outfield. The Blue Jays return to four outfielders with Teoscar Hernandez, Randal Grichuk, Kevin Pillar and Curtis Granderson.

Espinal, 23, batted .313 with seven homers and 32 RBIs in 65 games with Class A Salem in the Red Sox organization.

“Middle-of-the-diamond players, you can’t have enough of them,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Friday. “The athleticism, that’s where it all begins. If you can play in the middle, you can often play anywhere else, so that’s first and foremost. (Espinal) is an above-average runner and performing well at a decent level, so there’s plenty to like.”