Twitter war with each proclaiming they were the best corner. Th

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Cleveland Browns are limping to the finish line.The Browns (7-8) lost their fourth straight game Sunday, including their second in a row under rookie starter Johnny Manziel.Manziel was a mere 3 of 8 for 32 yards passing and ran twice for 3 yards in the 17-13 defeat to the Carolina Panthers before leaving with a hamstring injury late in the first half.Brian Hoyer wasnt much better, finishing 7 of 13 for 134 yards, the bulk of that coming on an 81-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Cameron. He threw one interception and was sacked three times.The Browns had just 228 yards on offence and eight first downs.Offensively, not near good enough to win in this league, Browns coach Mike Pettine said. We made the one big play, but other than that we never really seemed to get in much of a rhythm.The Browns were officially eliminated from playoff contention Saturday when San Diego beat San Francisco. Theyve not been to the playoffs since 2002.Manziels status for next weeks season finale at Baltimore remains uncertain.He was injured when he sprinted out to his left just before halftime. Linebacker Luke Kuechly and safety Colin Jones converged on Manziel, taking him to the ground for a 1-yard loss. Manziel attempted to get up, then fell back to the ground. He remained in his uniform but did not return.Manziel said afterward he felt his hamstring tighten up earlier in the game.I kept walking more and I just felt like something that I hadnt experienced before and felt like I needed to get checked out, Manziel said.Manziel said he left the game frustrated but determined to improve in the off-season.If anything it makes me hungrier to work in this off-season and get with these guys and stay on top of this stuff. and come back next year and come out and try to have some success early in the season and sustain that through a season, Manziel said. Thats obviously a long way from now. but just the way my mindset has flipped from being a guy that you never know when you are going to get a chance to go in and trying to stay on top of your stuff to being the guy for a couple weeks. ... It hurts me and eats at me to not be out there with those guys.The Panthers (6-8-1) are talking playoffs even though they have fewer wins than the Browns (7-8).The victory sets up a winner-take-all showdown next Sunday at Atlanta between the Panthers and Falcons for the division title. It also guarantees a team without even a .500 record will win the NFC South.The winner will join the 2010 Seattle Seahawks as the only teams to reach the post-season in a non-strike-shortened season with a losing record.Now it all comes down to one game and thats all we can ask for is to be in that situation, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said.Cam Newton threw for one touchdown and ran for another just 12 days after the quarterback suffered two fractures in his lower back following an automobile accident. Jonathan Stewart ran for 122 yards and caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Newton.The Panthers have now won three straight after going more than two months without a victory.The Panthers led most of the game before Cameron got behind the secondary to give Cleveland its first lead of the game at 13-10 with about 10 minutes remaining.But Newton, looking healthy and mobile in escaping from the pocket, drove the Panthers back downfield. He completed a 9-yard pass to Stewart, who slipped out of the backfield untouched and found an open pocket in the end zone.The effort was tremendous, Rivera said of Newton. It kind of speaks to who he is and his toughness.Newton called the last 12 days tiring, but said the whole ordeal has left him with an entirely different perspective on life.For me to come out of an accident like that, all praises go to God, Newton said. He is using me in a positive way and Im using my influence in a positive way. Im on a (pedestal), so when I do good things or bad things people are going to be affected. So I just want to use mine in a positive light to encourage the next person. That is what we are on this earth for — to make people better.NOTES: Panthers cornerback Josh Norman had an interception for Carolina, but then fumbled on the return when he held the ball with one hand and was hit from behind. ... The Browns ran 46 plays to Carolinas 77.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Adidas NMD Kengät .C. -- Benn Ferrieros familiar with scoring important goals, just not in back-to-back games. Adidas NMD XR1 Ale . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. http://www.nmdhalvalla.com/adidas-prophere-halvalla.html . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. Getting Creative The Pittsburgh Penguins will try their best to acquire Ryan Kesler from the Vancouver Canucks before the Trade Deadline. Adidas NMD R2 Ale .com) - The Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors are back in the great white north for a brief moment and will host the Dallas Mavericks Friday night from Air Canada Centre. Adidas NMD R1 Halvalla . Playing in his 19th career final, the second-seeded Tsonga was favourite to win the Open 13 for the third time and to secure an 11th career title, but he struggled with Gulbis attacking approach.(SportsNetwork.com) - In the salary-cap era of the NFL, its all about allocating assets and one of the major reasons the Seattle Seahawks are preparing to play in their second straight Super Bowl stems from the fact that they hit on quarterback Russell Wilson in the third round of the draft. Instead of having to invest eight figures at the games most important position, Seattle paid Wilson a little less than $700,000 in 2014, meaning it could earmark significant dollars to other positions and build perhaps the deepest roster in all of football. That dynamic that will be changing rather quickly, however. Wilsons rookie deal expires in 2015 and the two Super Bowl appearances in three seasons means that eight figures is on the horizon for the third-year pro in the offseason with some speculating he will end up as the highest paid quarterback in the game at least until the Colts Andrew Luck cashes in. As the most playoff-tested signal caller in NFL history, the Patriots Tom Brady made just under $15 million for his work in leading New England to its record-tying eighth Super Bowl appearance so the Pats are well-versed on how to build a roster around a leading man who has already cashed in his chips. And one of the major tenants of that philosophy is the act of the strategical strike in free agency -- when you think youre close to the Lombardi Trophy, target a difference maker. The Patriots did exactly that in the offseason by signing veteran cornerback Darrelle Revis after he was released by Tampa Bay, inking the star to a two- year backloaded deal. In Revis first season in Foxborough, he delivered in a big way as the lockdown corner capable of eliminating one side of the football field, while enabling Bill Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to be much more inventive with their various blitz and coverage schemes. The four-time All-Pro amassed 47 tackles with two interceptions and 14 passes defensed as the Patriots finished the regular season 12-4 with their latest AFC East crown. The divisional round against Baltimore proved to be Revis toughest game of the season, largely because the Ravens Steve Smith is one of the few receivers in football who can outphysical the Pitt product. Revis rebounded, though, in the AFC Championship Game as he picked off Luck during the Patriots 45-7 rout. Although the Pats are semi-regulars in the big game, this is Revis first trip and he brings an added dimension which makes New England a far more well- rounded team. Everything is surreal right now, Revis said of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time. Actually Im asking some of the guys who have been here thats on this team, You know, whats the process? Vince (Wilfork) has been helping me. (Devin McCourty) has been helping me. Even (ex-Seahawk Brandon) Browner. Im just trying to go about the process the best way I can. Revis will be tackling that process as perhaps the best man-to-man coverage corner in the game. Opponents often assume Belichick will just lock Revis up with their best receiver but the Pats coach is usually a step ahead and he could use Revis tto shadow a lesser threat while rolling bracket coverage to the other side.dddddddddddd Its also far easier to overload the blitz with Revis holding down the fort on the edge and his presence makes rushing three into a viable strategy because seven can drop into coverage, along with Revis, in an almost basketball- style box-and-one defense. It?s just being competitive, Revis said of his success. In this league, I think as a defensive back, thats what needs to drive you. The whole secondary feels that same way. We dont want any balls caught. The Seahawks and Pats defensive backfields obviously wont be playing each other in Super Bowl XLIX but the comparisons are obvious, as Seattles group, led by All-Pros Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas, is regarded as the best in football after allowing an NFL-low 185.6 passing yards per game. New England, with Revis, Browner and safety Devin McCourty, is considered a step behind. Revis is often mentioned with Sherman when a debate over the best cornerback breaks out but its a little like comparing apples and oranges. Seattle plays a lot of Cover-3 and Sherman stays on the left side of the field, meaning the opposing offense can avoid any matchup it wants by simply varying the formations. Revis, on the other hand, will shadow a receiver. There are pluses and minus to each philosophy. Revis supporters point to the fact he is asked to do more but fail to realize his movements mean other lesser players also have to shift and do things they arent necessarily comfortable with. Im sure people will make comparisons, Sherman said. They always do. But we play the game two different ways. Hes plays it more meticulous and more conventional on his technique. Mine is more unorthodox. Its more difficult to replicate what I do on the football field. So its two different styles to compare. I play my way and he plays his way and both of them are effective. Revis and Sherman once engaged in a rather epic Twitter war with each proclaiming they were the best corner. These days, its shifted into more of a mutual admiration society. I mean their secondary is one of the best in the league, Revis said of Sherman and Co. They are making plays for the last couple of years. If you look at it on film, theyve definitely made a lot of plays. They play well together and I think thats the key. They are very versatile in what they do and they are a very physical group. Hes had a great year and hes been doing his job effectively, Sherman countered when discussing Revis. I like what Ive seen from his game. Its hard not to. (Revis is) savvy, instinctive, hes deceptively fast, Pats CB Kyle Arrington told the Boston Globe. He has longer arms than you would think, so hes patient on the line of scrimmage. He doesnt care about the scoreboard, in a sense of getting beat, things like that. Hes just a good football player. Good is kind of understating things, something Arrington was quick to correct. Theres only a few guys that come around like that in a generation, Arrington said, and were just fortunate to have a guy like that on our team. ' ' '