Quasselstube » Former Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best quali

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- It was earlier this week when Patrick Reed, that fist-pumping, Europe-shushing, putt-dropping ball of momentum who solidified himself as the darling of an otherwise bleak United States team effort at the Ryder Cup two years ago, was asked why that event means so much to him.He narrowed his eyes, shook his head and paused for a few seconds, clearly taken aback by the sheer audacity of the question. It was as if he had been asked why water is wet or why the sun is hot. Then he stammered the only explanation he could muster: Its the Ryder Cup.While Reed did eventually elaborate as to why the biennial competition holds such importance, those four words should serve as the only necessary justification for why he so desperately wants to represent the red, white and blue once again this year.If he keeps playing like this at The Barclays, his probability of a roster spot will become a certainty by the end of the weekend.Reed entered this event as No. 8 on the U.S. points list, with the top eight players after this week having guaranteed automatic qualifying spots on the team. All of which placed him firmly on the bubble, not that hes showing the effects of feeling any pressure.With rounds of 66 and 68, Reed leads by 2 strokes over Rickie Fowler and Emiliano Grillo going into a weekend at Bethpages Black Course that could garner him an elusive first victory of this season, an invitation to the upcoming Tour Championship and, yes, an automatic berth on the Ryder Cup team.Not that hes thinking about the residuals.Really, Im going into this week trying to win a golf tournament, he said after a second round that included six birdies against just three bogeys. At the end of the day, if I go and I take care of me and do what I need to do this week, then the Ryder Cup will take care of itself. So Im not going into this week looking at it as, Oh, I need to do this for the Ryder Cup. Im going to think, Alright, I need to go win a golf tournament, and everything else will take care of itself.Winning hasnt come easy for him this season. A four-time PGA Tour champion, he has amassed 14 results in the top 25, nine in the top 10 and a pair of runner-up finishes at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and Valero Texas Open.Some players -- especially those of the elite variety -- might consider their seasons a disappointment without a single trophy for the mantle, but Reed maintains that he can still have a successful campaign without one.Its golf, he explained. You have guys that are going to win in years and youre going to have guys that arent going to win in years. I think this year has been a lot better than last year and the previous years on consistency. Thats a big part that Ive been working on is to make sure I keep myself into golf tournaments. Not go out and win an event here and then miss two or three cuts and finish 50th, 40th.Its about consistency: consistently getting in contention, consistently having chances to win. If I keep doing that, I will at some point break through and win hopefully a couple in a row, not just one.Preaching about consistency seems like a peculiar strategy for a guy who has so often played inspired golf when the moment calls for it. This is the same player who put an index finger to his lips after rolling in a birdie putt during his singles match against Henrik Stenson two years ago at Gleneagles, the same player who called himself a top-fiver earlier that year.Even though Reed has only displayed a poker face when discussing how much the Ryder Cup is on his mind this week, at least one peer believes the prospect of qualifying for the team is the perfect form of motivation for him.All youve got to do is light the fire a little with him, said Jordan Spieth, his partner for three matches in the 2014 Ryder Cup. If he plays golf with some, whether it be motivation or just feeling like hes been a little off and he needs to just do that little bit extra, he always brings it.So far, Reed is bringing it this week.Whether he admits it or not, that Ryder Cup roster spot is a tantalizing carrot dangling right in front of him. Reed desperately wants to be on that team and isnt afraid to explain how important it is.Just ask him. Hell offer a slight scowl and a pause, then just four words.Its the Ryder Cup. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Wholesale Authentic Jerseys . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. http://www.jerseyscheapcustom.com/ Cheap Jerseys From China . Kiriasis and brakeman Franziska Fritz finished two runs in one minute 55.41 seconds -- a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of Meyers and Lolo Jones, who likely bolstered her Olympic hopes by helping give USA-1 a huge push in the second heat. Custom Jerseys China .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Carolina Panthers wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. has a unique perspective on Usain Bolt, who further burnished his credentials at the Rio Olympics as the greatest sprinter in history.Ginn competed against the Jamaican when their 4x100-meter relay teams squared off in high school at the prestigious Penn Relays.He was recruited to Ohio State with the thought that he could qualify for the 2008 Olympics, and he ran the 100 meters in 10.2 seconds as a freshman. Ginn chose football over track, and now is gearing up for another season with the Panthers after coming up short in the last Super Bowl.Just watching (the Olympics) on TV right now, I kind of get goosebumps on certain races ... like the 4x400, the 400, 200, 110, Ginn told reporters during training camp. That gives me goosebumps, because a lot of them guys are No. 1 guys we raced in high school.Ginn is one of several NFL players who had stellar track careers before football -- a sport where Olympic speed is a coveted commodity. Many of them were so good at sprints, jumps and hurdles in college or high school that they thought long and hard about pursuing Olympic gold over a Super Bowl ring.Here is a look at some of them:MARQUISE GOODWIN: The Buffalo Bills wideout attempted last month to qualify for the Rio Games in long jump, but finished seventh, blaming the result on a strained hamstring from the qualifications. He made the Olympic track and field team in London in 2012, finishing 10th in long jump. Goodwin, a two-time NCAA champion in the event, is now with the Bills getting ready for the 2016 season.--JAMAAL CHARLES: Before he became one of the top running backs in football, Charles was an elite sprinter. His best time in the 100 in college at the University of Texas was 10.27. By comparison, Bolt clocked in at 9.81 in his gold medal win in Rio.During the NFL lockout a few years ago, Charles told The Associated Press that he would have gone back to track if the work stoppage dragged into the season. Track is my first love, he said.---CHRIS JOHNSON: While a running back for the Tennessee Titans, Johnson raised eyebrows during the 2012 London Games when he told the Tennessean he could beat Bolt in the 40-yard dash. Johnson had good reason to be confident about his chances in the 40.dddddddddddd Bolt is a slow starter, and Johnson holds the record for fastest time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine -- 4.24 seconds.---ROBERT GRIFFIN III: The Cleveland Browns quarterback was a superb hurdler at Baylor University before he made football his focus and became a Heisman Trophy winner. He was an All-American in the 400-meter hurdles, with a career-best time of 49.22 to win the Big 12 Outdoor Championship in 2008. The gold medalist in the event Thursday finished in 47.73.---ADRIAN PETERSON: The Minnesota Vikings running back was a high school track star in Palestine, Texas, before playing football at Oklahoma. He ran personal bests of 10.19 seconds in the 100 and 21.23 seconds in the 200. While he was in a contract dispute with the Vikings two years ago, Peterson briefly considered leaving the NFL to make a run at the Olympics.---PAST GENERATION: Former Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best qualified for the Rio Olympics for his fathers native St. Lucia and ran against Bolt in Rio in a preliminary race in the 100. He did not advance after finishing in 10.16.The former NFL players who had perhaps the most decorated track careers were Bob Hayes and Renaldo Nehemiah. Nicknamed Bullet, Hayes won two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics with electrifying performances in the 100 (10 seconds) and 4x100 relay. He went on to become an All-Pro and Super Bowl-winning wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. His speed was so phenomenal it forced defenses to move away from man-to-man coverage that was the norm in that era.Nehemiah was the worlds best hurdler for a time in the late 1970s and early `80s, becoming the first athlete to run the 110-meter high hurdles under 13 seconds. Nehemiah was considered a favorite in the 1980 Moscow Olympics in the event but could not compete because of the U.S. boycott amid tensions with the Soviet Union.Nehemiah played three seasons as a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers and was on the team that won the Super Bowl after the 1984 season. It was his last season with the team. The 49ers drafted Jerry Rice the following season. ' ' '