from basketball - watching

DETROIT -- Matthew Stafford and Reggie Bush did their part to keep the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers in the game. Stafford turned the ball over a few times and Bush did once. Instead of crumbling and losing confidence, both players bounced back and helped the Detroit Lions put together a dominant performance after an awful start. Stafford threw three touchdown passes, including one to Calvin Johnson, Bush had 182 yards of offence and scored, and Detroit scored 37 straight points to rout Green Bay 40-10 on Thursday. "When we get out of our own way, we can be pretty special," Bush said. Early on, it looked as if the Lions were going to find another way to waste chances to win a game and take control of the NFC North. "Its easy when you lose a couple games in a row, particularly the fashion that we lost, for people to say, Here we go again," Detroit coach Jim Schwartz said. "Im sure there were some people that were saying that, but they werent on our sideline." The Lions (7-5) had lost their last two games, five consecutive against Green Bay and a franchise-record nine straight in their annual showcase on Thanksgiving. "Its a step in the right direction for us," Stafford said. "Im sure the turkey will taste better." The Packers (5-6-1) have a five-game winless streak for the first time since 2008. "Were not used to anything like this -- not on this team," Green Bay linebacker A.J. Hawk said. "This is something that is going to make a lot of guys on this team think, and thats good. We need to find some answers because they just ran the ball down our throats." Bush responded from fumbling deep in Green Bay territory to score a 1-yard TD run that gave Detroit a 17-10 lead late in the first half. He finished with 117 yards rushing and 65 yards receiving. Bush backup, Joique Bell, ran for a career-high 94 yards and a score. The Packers, painfully, are finding out how valuable Rodgers is for the franchise. Rodgers has missed four-plus games since fracturing his left collarbone. Green Bay has tied one and lost four without him. "Were a wounded team that got drilled by a good football team," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. Matt Flynn became the fourth starting quarterback for Green Bay this year and was sacked seven times, once by Ndamukong Suh for a safety. Flynn didnt fare as well as he did in his last start for Green Bay against the same opponent. He was 10 of 20 for 139 yards with an interception and two fumbles. In the last game of the 2011 regular season, while Rodgers rested for the playoffs, Flynn threw for 480 yards and six TDs in a 45-41 win over Detroit. "They might have a lot of the same guys, but I can say theyre a different defence," Flynn said. "Theyre flying around, creating havoc." The Packers have been leaning on rookie running back Eddie Lacy lately, but he was limited to 16 yards on 10 carries against one of the NFLs best defences against the run. Detroit was balanced on offence. Johnson had six receptions for 101 yards and a 20-yard TD to put the Lions up 24-10 early in the third quarter. He has 4,944 yards receiving in two-plus seasons, breaking Jerry Rices NFL record for yards receiving in a three-year stretch. Rice had 4,850 yards receiving from 1993 to 1995. Stafford was 22 of 35 for 330 yards with two interceptions and a fumble that was returned by Morgan Burnett to put the Packers up 10-3 early in the second quarter. After that, Detroit did whatever it wanted on both sides of the ball. And if the Lions didnt start the game so poorly, the score couldve been even more lopsided. Detroit gained 561 yards and gave up just 126. Green Bay didnt have more than 100 yards of offence until Flynn threw a 56-yard pass to Jordy Nelson with a little more than a minute left. Flynn then fumbled in a fitting end for a game that he and his team would like to forget. Packers guard Josh Sitton mightve fired up the Lions, saying they were "dirtbags," a couple days before the game, but didnt seem to regret his choice of words. "I dont take back anything I said," Sitton said. "But I dont want to stand here and discuss it again." NOTES: Green Bay C Evan Dietrich-Smith, two years after he was stomped on by Suh, left the game with knee injury and didnt return. ... Packers TE Ryan Taylor was knocked out of the game and was evaluated for a concussion after a crunching hit by Detroits DeAndre Levy, who made his NFL-leading sixth interception during the game. ... Lions CB Chris Houston was inactive with a foot injury and was replaced by rookie Darius Slay. Vapormax Italia . Some members of the U.S. Congress arent so sure. They say Russia isnt doing enough to assure that athletes will be protected at the Feb. 7-23 games, happening not far from an Islamic insurgency that Russias huge security apparatus has struggled for two decades to quell. Russia may run greater risks in towns outside the tightly controlled Olympic zone. Suicide bombs last month a few hundred kilometres (miles) away have increased concerns, and an Islamic warlord has urged his followers to attack the Sochi Olympics, Russian President Vladimir Putins pet project. Scarpe Nike Scontate On Line . Starters, when they struggle, have to live with it for five days. For Sergio Santos and Steve Delabar, two of the three men who authored one of the ugliest pitched innings in Blue Jays franchise history on Thursday night, the bounce-back chance came right away. http://www.scontatescarpenikeoutlet.it/. Mitchell first announced on Twitter that he has signed with the Steelers and his agent Brian Hamilton confirmed the signing to The Associated Press. Financial terms were not released. The Steelers have not announced the addition of Mitchell. Saucony Scontate . - Connor Brown and Dane Fox both scored in regulation and in the shootout, as the Erie Otters extended their win streak to 10 games by defeating the London Knights 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Vans Saldi . Buffalos defensive co-ordinator had his second interview with Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner on Tuesday night, a person familiar with the Browns plans told The Associated Press.NEW YORK - Earlier in the week, after hitting a big three-point shot to force overtime in a win over Denver, Patrick Patterson expressed his desire to follow in the footsteps of Robert Horry, formally one of the leagues most clutch players. Big Shot Bob made some crucial game-changing, playoff-series winning jumpers throughout his 16-year career - a career that produced seven championship rings - but he wasnt exactly known for making magic on the defensive end. Patterson, a steady positional defender throughout his time in Toronto, may have even surprised himself with what he was able to do as a stopper on Sunday, facing off against an elite scorer down the stretch of the Raptors 95-90 OT victory at Madison Square Garden. I aint going to lie, it was a big challenge tonight as far as guarding one of the best players in the NBA, said Patterson, who spent most of the games final 11 minutes, including the five-minute OT period, chasing around Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony. My whole mindset when I was on him was to just deny him the ball as much as possible. Other than that, yea, Im not really known for my down-the-stretch perimeter clutch defence like that. But it felt good. My teammates had total confidence in me, the coaching staff had total confidence in me as far as keeping me on Melo in those crunch-time minutes. Thankfully it worked. Landry Fields, starting his third straight game in place of the injured DeMar DeRozan, and James Johnson drew the Anthony assignment for most of the evening. Although Fields - a former teammate of Anthonys in New York - had some success early in the game, the seven-time All-Star and former scoring champ would go on to have his way with both of them. Midway through the fourth quarter, with the score evened and Anthony carrying a decimated Knicks team - that had won just one of their last 11 games - Dwane Casey turned to the six-foot-nine Patterson, hoping that his length may cause some frustration. At the time, Anthony had 27 points on an efficient 8-of-15 shooting, having hit three of his five attempts from three-point range and eight of 10 from the line. Immediately, Anthony looked to attack Patterson off the dribble. He drove past him for layup and it looked as though the experiment may be short-lived. From that point on, Anthony made just two of his final eight shots, including one of four from long distance. He scored just five points over roughly 11 minutes and did not attempt a single free throw. His length and energy, his quickness and speed and his tenacity to deny it and forcing him way out to catch the ball and his overall defensive focus and understanding of where he is on the floor, Casey said of Pattersons work. He did a magnificent job. Its not a role Patterson is accustomed to, settling in as Torontos stretch four off the bench, but its one he could find himself in more often after Sundays performance. I told him he told on himself by guarding perimeter guys like that, Casey joked after the game. Yeah, this isnt my [role], Patterson said humbly. Normally its [Johnson], DeMar, Terrence [Ross] or Landry and tonight it was my turn. Its enjoyable now. During that time, no, it wasnt enjoyable. It was a little nerve-racking. But now its enjoyable. Im smiling, Im laughing, Im enjoying my teammates encouraging me saying: Next time we play somebody like that were going to put you on him. Just joking like that. Right now its enjoyable, its a lot of fun. I think hes just shy, Kyle Lowry said of Pattersons modesty. Hes just shy. He [doesnt] want to play it [up] too much but its impressive.dddddddddddd We dont expect it from him every single night but on a night like this when he needed it and he gave it to us, its just respect for what he did. Patterson, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting Sunday, has come on of late. Hes scored in double figures in eight of the teams last nine games off the bench, shooting 56 per cent from beyond the arc during the month of the December. In addition to his surprisingly effective defence on Anthony, the fifth-year forward has been making big late-game plays on the offensive end, including a go-ahead three-pointer early in OT against the Knicks. It wasnt pretty. The Raptors scored just 18 points in the second quarter, 14 in the fourth. They committed a season-high 24 turnovers, including Lowrys uncharacteristic nine miscues, and allowed the Knicks - shooting just 37 per cent - to hang around until the bitter end. But thanks to Patterson, as well as Ross and Lowry scoring 22 and 21 respectively, they were able to pull it out. It was one of those nights where everyone was struggling, Casey noted. Nothing would go. The ball would hit your hands and fall out of bounds, fumble it out. It was one of those nights you just find a way to grind it out. We had so many mistakes on both sides, even defensively but if you are serious about winning, you find a way to get it done and our guys did it. COACH DEROZAN For the first week of his forced time off, DeRozan reluctantly spent most of his day sitting on the couch, playing video games and watching the sport that hes used to playing at the highest level. Although theres still no timetable for his return to game action - hes missed eight straight contests with a groin tear - the Raptors All-Star guard has had enough sitting around, looking for and taking advantage of every opportunity to stay involved with the team while hes sidelined. DeRozan accompanied his teammates to New York, where he continued his rehab on the court at Madison Square Garden prior to the game. He has been doing core exercises with the trainers and shooting free throws after practice and before games for the latter half of this past week. The 25-year-old has also been making his presence felt behind the scenes, sitting in on the coaches meetings, something Casey had suggested shortly after DeRozan sustained his injury back on Nov. 28. DeRozan, in his sixth year with the Raptors, has been more than an observer, Casey said, calling him an active participant during these closed door sessions. We ask him questions and he participates, Casey said. Hes a sharp guy and he understands. The good thing about DeMar, he was here from day one when we put in the system so he understands what were trying to do defensively, he understands what were trying to do defensively. Probably more so than some of the coaches. DeRozan, speaking to the media last weekend, had said he was looking forward to studying the game in a new way for as long as hes a spectator. Hes confident that by spending this time - his first extended absence from basketball - watching through the eyes of a coach, hell be better for it when he does return. Casey has seen it pay off before. I think its very helpful for players to come into the coaches meetings, Casey said. Theyre always welcome. I remember in Seattle, Nate McMillan came into our coaches meeting with George Karl and it was huge to hear his thought process of what we were doing as a team from a players standpoint. And then lo and behold he turns around and becomes a coach. So its very helpful. ' ' '