Hilfestellungen » Week 8 at Tennessee: Marqise Lee muffed a punt

CINCINNATI --?Milos Raonic?isnt interested in losing, even if its just a silly game of Jenga.On one off day during the Cincinnati Open earlier this month, Raonic would have preferred to be at the art?museum indulging in his favorite pastime. Instead, the rain had trapped the 6-foot-5 Canadian in a playful PR setup by the ATP: a game of Jenga with benign personal questions scribbled on each piece.If you really want to get inside the head of tennis most deadpan star, placing an increasingly unstable wooden tower in his hands is a good place to start. What might on the surface appear to be a media gimmick for the ATP, for Raonic, it is most certainly not. Raonic doesnt do gimmicks. With the camera rolling, he attacks the board like hes on Centre Court at Wimbledon.Opting almost exclusively for the center pieces, hes able to lay waste to the game quickly (23 pieces in five minutes), while the stack barely shifts from its axis. His answers to the questions posed on the back of each piece dont exactly shake the ground, either.What superhero would you be? Superman. Favorite color? Canada red. Favorite karaoke song? Dont Stop Me Now by Queen. Person youd most like to meet? Michael Jordan. Favorite hobby? Visiting art galleries. Can you show us your best dance move? Its not late enough at night for me to do that. Do you want to hear more? Probably not.Raonic, with his perfectly coiffed hair, athletic build and a smile that corporate sponsors dump their wallets out for, should be one of the bigger names in the game. Hes got the girl -- Canadian model Danielle Knudson, who skyrocketed to prominence when Justin Bieber inquired on Instagram, Who is this Guess Model. Shes Stunning. He is a thoughtful, cerebral athlete who on one hand can wax poetic about Julian Schnabel and Bruno Bischofberger and then with the other hand serve up 150-plus mph heat. So what gives?His off-court demeanor belies an on-court persona. Playing with bottled up emotions he has been labeled Iceman and Stoic. An athlete distanced from the crowd, only briefly letting loose when his serve erupted in that cathartic explosion.When Im on the court theres no such thing as a joke for me. Everything is with a purpose, with a specific objective and with a goal, says Raonic, who is seeded fifth at the US Open, where he won his first-round match against Dustin Brown in straight sets Monday. Thats a quote you might attribute to Nick Saban and not a guy who is paid to rock a Rolex like its casual sportswear.In some ways Raonic is as much a victim of his big serves as his opponents are. Theres nothing particularly attractive or charming about delivering aces indiscernible to the naked eye, especially when those aces are being delivered from a preposterous launch angle. The result can make Raonic look like a brute delivering a missile straight to the heart of the beautiful game. If tennis is art, then Raonic is its Jackson Pollock.The way I try to play, I try to take rhythm away from guys and try to keep it quick and short, says Raonic. Whereas you have other guys who are willing to run around for four hours on court. It might not come off that way, but I believe that I clearly work harder than anybody else on tour.It might sound like repetitive bravado coming from an athlete trying to develop an image, but his coach of three years, Riccardo Piatti -- who also mentored Ivan Ljubicic, Richard Gasquet and Novak Djokovic -- doesnt dispute it.About working hard, he is one of the best ever, says Piatti. The most important thing for him is improvement. Improvement in everything -- the fitness part, the mental part, tennis, food, everything -- and he wants that.It would be an understatement to call Raonic obsessive when it comes to bettering himself. He wears a mouth guard to prevent his teeth from grinding during play and to help realign his spine. He even perturbed his seven housemates during his stay in Cincinnati by vigilantly making sure the thermostat was set to 67 degrees before bedtime -- because it is, according to Raonic, the ideal temperature to aid in recovery.Even if its a rest day, its always, Am I better today than I was yesterday? says Raonic. And that kind of mentality has sometimes caused a high level of impatience and frustration and maybe loss of energy emotionally. But I think that kind of mentality has brought the best out of me.Reaching the top is a never-ending quest for Raonic. He will repackage and consume even the most leisurely of tasks to gain an edge. Hes an avid reader yet professes to avoid fiction. He says he has never flipped through The Great Gatsby, and begged his parents to purchase the Harry Potter series but got through only one of the books. He read To Kill a Mockingbird strictly because it was a school requirement.I really do struggle with that creativity side of my mind, he says. Ill read autobiographies. Ill read books about different processes in life to try to make myself more aware of different things, but with the goal to help me improve.His current summer reading: How to Win Friends and Influence People and Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. The lessons from that first book: You should smile more when you talk to people. I think that goes a long ways, explains Raonic. Also, sometimes I can be too demanding of people and Ive had maybe the wrong approach with how Ive communicated that message.Raonic demands a lot from a lot of people. Ask him how he views his career, and he might tell you hes CEO of Milos Raonic Tennis. Considering he currently employs a staff that would have to be transported by clown car, he has a point. He estimates there are up to 15 people he consults with on his tennis career. As for people who travel with him on a regular basis, there are three coaches, two physiotherapists, one fitness coach, a cook and an agent/manager. Some might think its overkill in a sport that rests solely on the actions of one person, but the chief executive disagrees.That post-career sadness, lossness or maybe some kind of depression is one of my biggest fears, says Raonic. Im the one that has to live with whatever happens or doesnt happen for me. ... I wouldnt necessarily say its a fear that I have nightmares over, but its definitely an awareness that I want to do everything I can to avoid that emotion.Its not exactly groundbreaking to tell you that theres an athlete willing to do whatever it takes to win. And Raonic isnt exactly a groundbreaking athlete; rather hes an athlete who by sheer force of will is aiming to break into a hierarchy that has held the sport on lockdown for well over a decade.Considering his results in this years majors (a semifinal berth at the Australian Open, final appearance at Wimbledon), hes at least jiggling the foundation more than his Jenga puzzle. No small feat when noting that Raonic was an afterthought as a junior player. He didnt break into the top 100 until 2011 at the age of 20. The son of two engineers, his professional tennis career was so in doubt early on that it kept his father, Dusan, up at night -- and prompted him to enroll his son in college every semester just in case Raonic had a change of heart and hung up his racket.If Raonic has been criticized for appearing dull and stoic and like hes playing for his tennis life, well, its because he has been. I try to get every single inch of potential out of the time that I spend on the court, he says. I wasnt the greatest junior by any means, and I have always felt like time has sort of been running out on me, and I try to maximize it.This laser focus seems to be cut from the same cloth as his parents, who worried so much for his future. The family settled in Thornhill, Ontario, by way of the former Yugoslavia when Raonic was 3. Dusan would coach his son from 6 to 8 in the morning and 9 to 11 at night, before and after work for 16 years, at Blackmore Tennis Club. Raonic is grateful for the sacrifices his parents made for him, and making the most of what they gave him is one way for him to express his appreciation.That drive has served him well, but Raonic has begun to see its limitations. You can see it in his deliberate effort to smile more on court, to not-so-subtly communicate to the crowd that he does love the game. And to maybe not-so-subtly impose himself on his opponent.Attribute some of that to Raonics recent part-time hire of John McEnroe for a 10-week stint before Wimbledon and for another temporary stretch before the US Open, a celebrity hiring Raonic hopes will reap success similar to what Boris Becker did for Novak Djokovic and Ivan Lendl for Andy Murray.The coupling has turned out to be a perfect intersection between Raonics love for art and his deficiencies on the court. Art at its core is pure expression, and no one was better at breaking the bottle of his emotions than McEnroe, a tennis icon as famous for his on-court success as for his emotional theatre. With McEnroes prodding for Raonic to become more assertive at the net and to show more intensity, Raonic reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon.I think if youve watched me play maybe the last 15 matches or so since Ive started with John, youll find moments where I actually smile on court, which is a rare thing, says Raonic. Even in difficult moments during a match I will be out there smiling, which is nice and it takes something off of me and I think it carries a long way, because Ive heard players say that they think Im doing it tactically. I dont know if its getting into their heads, but if they are talking about it, then they definitely have to be thinking about it.With Raonic now knocking on the door of a Grand Slam, the question becomes, how much of tennis is art and how much is physics? Because despite Raonics penchant for art, he doesnt pretend to create any. Im more the guy that tries to break everything down into facts and logical thinking and tries to have a reasoning for everything, he says. Tennis is art mostly when you see it. But at the basis of it, it is logical and it is about understanding the possibilities that can happen, cutting off angles and the geometry of the game. Some things are possible, some things arent; those are the laws of physics. But it is, at the end of the day, beautiful art.So can tennis be broken down as efficiently and precisely as a game of Jenga? Or is this generation of tennis destined to be reserved for the Renoirs and Monets of the game? This years US Open should provide insight into that answer. Darrell Henderson Rams Jersey . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Gerald Everett Rams Jersey .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. http://www.footballramsshop.us/authentic-torry-holt-rams-jersey/ . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Orlando Pace Youth Jersey . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. Cooper Kupp Youth Jersey . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have a recurring theme in their eight-game losing streak. And its not poor play from quarterback Blake Bortles.The Jaguars (2-11) have had at least one major meltdown on special teams in each of those losses, the kind of gaffes that significantly reduce the teams already-ultra-thin margin for error.Muffed punts, poor coverage and silly penalties are just a few of the problems coach Gus Bradley has seen from his not-so-special units over the last two months. The Jaguars, who play at Houston next, seemingly reached a low point in a 25-16 loss to Minnesota on Sunday.Jacksonville allowed a 53-yard kickoff return, had a punt blocked, was flagged for roughing the kicker, missed one field goal and had a 61-yarder blocked. And maybe the strangest moment of the afternoon: Place-kicker Jason Myers was penalized for delay of game after the Jaguars decided to switch from a deep kick to a squib kick. Those blunders essentially cost the Jaguars at least six points in a close game.It wasnt up to our par, Bradley said Monday. When you take a look at it, there were mistakes by units throughout the whole day.Most of the season, too.Heres a look at the mounting miscues on special teams:-Week 13 against Denver: Alex Ellis was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a punt return in the final minute of the first half. His 15-yard penalty set up a field goal that put the Broncos ahead 10-3.-Week 12 at Buffalo: Rashad Greene muffed two punts, but recovered both. Jacksonville also gave up a 43-yard punt that the Bills turned into a touchdown. Buffalo missed the extra point.-Week 11 at Detroit: Andre Roberts returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown against the Jaguars. Greene also muffed a punt, but Jacksonville recovered.-Week 10 against Houston: The Jaguars gave up a 57-yard punt returrn to the 7-yard line.dddddddddddd The Texans scored a touchdown on the next play.-Week 9 at Kansas City: Bryan Walters fumbled a punt and the Chiefs recovered at the Jaguars 23. Two plays later, they scored a touchdown.-Week 8 at Tennessee: Marqise Lee muffed a punt, the Titans recovered in Jacksonville territory and kicked a field goal.-Week 7 against Oakland: Greene muffed a punt, the Raiders recovered in the red zone and settled for short field goal.Thats 42 points that Jacksonvilles special teams have either directly or indirectly allowed over the last eight games. Its more than half the combined point differential (71) in those losses.You look in the past, a couple of years ago, we were very good in our coverage units, very good, Bradley said. You always have to try and stay ahead of the game. You look at areas like that. We have some new players in there and trying to position where they are best.In previous years, the Jaguars made room for special teams aces on the roster, and players like Montell Owens and Kassim Osgood made the Pro Bowl as niche performers. But Bradley and general manager Dave Caldwell choose to try to develop somebody into that role, Bradley said.It didnt pan out. The bottom half of the roster has yet to produce any big-time special-teams players. And guys drafted in middle rounds to fill those roles -- Ace Sanders, Denard Robinson, Greene and others -- have come up short.And, now, its showing on the field.I just thought in the second half, especially, the errors that we made were uncharacteristic of us, Bradley said. We just cant have them, cant have them in this game.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '