Three of the six interceptions thrown by the Jets Ryan Fitzpat

Interested to see the best finals preparations - week off or regular footy?I am keen to see what works better between having a week off and recovering or playing intense, regular football. I am interested to see if either has an outcome in the game -- the Cowboys came off a hard game in Melbourne in Week 1 and then an Origin-style game of football at home against Brisbane and now they travel to Sydney.It will be fascinating to see what is the best style of approaching a finals campaign -- having the week off or continuing to play regardless of how hard it is.These days is the best our game has ever had it with professionalism so it will be interesting to see if we get a cracking game of football or does a week off make one team rusty or whether the travel and playing continuously puts the other team under pressure.?The Cowboys won the premiership last year after losing the first game but they went the hard road and we now know there was nothing wrong with the path they took.Hope to see a strong Chad Townsend response after being hooked last gameI am looking forward to seeing what Chad Townsend presents this weekend because he unfortunately didnt play a great deal of time two weeks ago in Canberra.It was a masterstroke from Shane Flanagan to replace him and put Jack Bird to the halves but I dont know what effect it will have on Chad Townsend -- how hes feeling and how his confidence level is sitting.I think coming up against Johnathan Thurston is a great game for him. If anyone feels like hes under pressure or down on confidence I think playing the best player in the game should be seen as a nice battle for yourself.I think Cronullas chances of success hinges a fair bit on how Chad Townsend performs -- the right edge of the Sharks in which Townsend and Luke Lewis sit will have to certainly send a fair bit of football at Johnathan Thurston and I think that will be a way of targeting the Cowboys and improving the Sharks chances of victory.Cooper Cronk 300-game milestone for MelbourneCooper Cronks 300 games for the Melbourne Storm will be a wonderful celebration -- they sell great milestones better than anyone in the NRL competition and I just think its a great rap for a great bloke.There are 25 people who have played 300-plus games, there are around 10 or 11 that have played 300-plus at the one club so I think its been an amazing career for him and a nice way to celebrate a milestone in such a big occasion.Hell look back at the end of the year and recognise hes played 300 games for the one club which is a fair milestone. I think Melbourne Storm players have been walking around in Cooper Cronk t-shirts all week so as much as hes playing it down and staying humble, I think there has already been a little celebration by the football club.Cronk and Melbourne is like the perfect marriage -- he couldve gone to another club that played ad-lib football and probably never had a career. Hes done a wonderful job to turn into the player he is. Vada Pinson . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. Enos Slaughter . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. http://www.custommlbcardinalsjersey.com/ .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Ken Boyer .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Ryan Helsley . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The bend-but-dont-break defense of the Kansas City Chiefs has so far done an exceptional job of making coach Andy Reid rip out whatever red-tinted fuzz is left of his hair.You see, the Chiefs are masters of giving up yards when it doesnt matter.Theyll give up passes under their coverage, long runs between the tackles, quick crossing routes as opponents drive downfield.When they get close to the end zone? Its a whole different story.The Chiefs have become one of the best teams in the NFL when it comes to red zone defense, a big reason why theyre off to a 2-1 start .Not only do they usually hold opponents to field goals rather than touchdowns, they also have forced a slew of turnovers.We do a good job with that. I dont know why, Reid said. You always talk about the 12th man there, the end zone. Our guys know how to space it out. We worked hard on it at training camp.There was reason for the emphasis. The Chiefs gave up a touchdown on three of every five trips opponents made inside their 20-yard line last season, putting them in the bottom third of the league.Through three games this season? Just three touchdowns on 13 trips.The Chiefs red-zone touchdown rate of 23.1 percent is best in the NFL, just ahead of the New York Giants -- a crucial mark considering only New Orleans and Oakland have allowed more red-zone scoring opportunities.Thats not just bend-but-dont-break. Thats Gumby doing yoga.Reid may not know exactly why Kansas City has become so adept at defending the end zone, but he is willing to hazard a guess. And for a guy who made his bones in the NFL on inventive schemes, studying trends and dissecting film, it only makes sense that he offered an Xs and Os solution.So much of that is just eliminating the seams in there, he said, because theyll just try to pull you apart. You only need a small area to deliver on. Teams will try to pull you apart and test your discipline. Everything is going a little faster down there. Your weaknesses are going to be exploited; your strengths are going to show up.So ffar, the Chiefs biggest weakness is getting pressure on the quarterback, a problem that could be alleviated later this season if star pass rusher Justin Houston returns from knee surgery.ddddddddddddOtherwise, there are a whole bunch of strengths.The defensive front of Dontari Poe, Jaye Howard, Allen Bailey and Chris Jones has been able to plug up the run near the goal line, forcing teams to the air.And when they put it up, one of the most opportunistic secondary groups in the NFL has had a penchant for picking off passes.Three of the six interceptions thrown by the Jets Ryan Fitzpatrick last week were in the end zone.It was all about executing the game plan to a `T, said cornerback Marcus Peters, who had two picks and one of those in the end zone . We dotted our Is and crossed our Ts. We let our pass rush get there, we played underneath, we let our safeties play over the top and we made plays.As a result, the Chiefs have not allowed a touchdown in more than seven quarters.Building on that impressive streak should be a challenge Sunday night, when the Chiefs visit Pittsburgh and a prolific offense led by Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and recently returned LeVeon Bell.The Steelers are fifth in the NFL in percentage of touchdowns scored in the red zone.Our guys, Ill tell you right now, are staying disciplined, Reid said. This will be a good challenge for them because they are good in the red zone. You have to know how to space the field, particularly in the pass game, and then you have to trust it.Game notes CB Marcus Peters, the AFC defensive player of the week, missed practice for the second straight day. He has the flu. ... CB Phillip Gaines was held out of practice because of a knee injury. He was limited in Wednesdays workout. ... OL Jah Reid (knee) and RB Charcandrick West (ankle) also did not practice.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '