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Cam Newton took some heat from critics when he ripped into game officials two weeks ago after Carolinas 30-20 win over Arizona, saying he didnt feel protected in the pocket.Kansas Citys Alex Smith, another mobile quarterback, says he understands Newtons point.He certainly has merit in that argument that I have seen in that they were blows to the head, helmet to helmet, Smith says. Its hard to say, I dont know thats similar across the league or if hes certainly at a disadvantage being so big. Hes such a good runner that all of a sudden hes not getting the calls.I probably havent studied enough on that. In terms of the hits Ive seen in the pocket, he very well could have had a flag thrown.Smith says he wants players and officials to be held accountable.Obviously players get held accountable for things that happen on game day. I think guys just want to see that across the board. They want referees included, Smith adds. Those guys out there, there needs to be some accountability on that. I think everyone wants to be treated the same. If some quarterbacks are getting afforded certain protection, that needs to be across the board, regardless of how big you are, how mobile you are. It needs to get called consistently.Obviously nobody is perfect, Im not saying that. There is going to be some human error, but certainly you want to see it get called consistently.---THE LONG VIEW: Minnesota Vikings left guard Alex Boone was sidelined last week against Detroit because of a concussion, a first for his eight-year NFL career. Hed only missed four games to injury before, all because of knee trouble. Boone has since passed the post-concussion testing, cleared to take the field for practice on Wednesday.He has returned with some deeper perspective, as well as better equipment. Boones wife and oldest child urged him to ditch the helmet hed been wearing for years, the oldest model left in the league, he estimated.They dont want to wheel me around when Im 35, so I will be trying a new helmet this week and probably from here on out, he says, reflecting on his old helmet like a little kids security blanket. Ive always loved it, and now Im going to have to upgrade to one of these new fancy things that Im not happy about.Boone predictably found the concussion protocol annoying, complaining about the time he had to spent sitting in front of a computer answering questions to prove his mental acuity was back to normal. But he recognized the seriousness of the injury.This is a brutal game, and sometimes you get hit in the head and things go wrong, Boone said. I have kids, and the last thing I want is to have them take care of me at 35. Its hard because I want to play and I want to do everything, but at the same time its serious and Ive got to be a dad at the same time.---COLLEGE HONOR FOR RYAN: Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will have his No. 12 Boston College jersey retired on Nov. 19 when the Eagles play UConn. The Falcons are off next week, so Ryan will be free to attend the event.Im looking forward to that, Ryan says. It will be a fun weekend to get together with my college friends and college teammates as well as family up there. To see so many people who have impacted my life on such a huge scale and really helped me to become both the player and the person that I am.Ryan led Boston College to 25 wins in 32 starts, including three bowl victories, from 2005-07. He was the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year in 2007, when he led the Eagles to the ACCs Atlantic Division championship.---OLD MAN WITH FRESH LEGS: Darren Sproles has become Philadelphias No. 1 running back at age 33.The versatile veteran is an excellent punt returner and has been used mostly as a situational player throughout his career with the Chargers, Saints and Eagles. But Sproles has played at least 80 percent of the snaps in the last two games and has 36 offensive touches.Meanwhile, Ryan Mathews has just eight snaps and 10 touches in those games after starting the season as the featured back.The Eagles also rotate rookie Wendell Smallwood and Kenjon Barner. Sproles blocking ability and skills as a receiver give him the nod, despite his age.Against Dallas, Darren was obviously the hot hand at the time, and we just kept feeding Darren, keeping him going, and same thing (against the Giants), coach Doug Pederson says.Sproles is averaging 4.8 yards per carry, a full yard more than Mathews. He also has 25 catches for 241 yards, including a 73-yard TD.Mathews twice ran for 1,000 yards and went to one Pro Bowl while in San Diego. He leads the team with five rushing TDs, but also has two fourth-quarter fumbles, including one that led to a 24-23 loss at Detroit.---SIEMIANS SHOULDER: Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian has been dealing with a sprained left A.C. joint since getting flung to the ground by Tampa Bay defensive tackle Clinton McDonald on Oct. 2. The size of the large bump on his left clavicle has become a grotesque barometer as to how many times hes been hit on any given week.Im fine. At this point everybody is dealing with their own little bumps and bruises, but Im fine and Ill be ready to go Sunday, Siemian says as he prepares to face the Saints this weekend.Asked what types of hits hurt his shoulder the most, Siemian shows hes not hurting enough to quash his sense of humor: The hard ones, the really hard ones.Its weird, youll get hit sometimes and youll feel good, and then sometimes you say to yourself, That kind of hurt, but thats part of the deal.---TRUE COLORS? Dallas linebacker Sean Lee is going home to Pittsburgh and will face the Steelers for the first time. He says there are likely to be more than 30 family members and friends there.The former Penn State standout wont pretend that theyre all big Cowboys fans, though. The black and gold runs too deep.I bet you theres some friends who will have a 50 jersey on and underneath it theyll have a Steelers jersey, Steelers colors, theyll be rubbing on it during the game, says Lee, the leading tackler for the Cowboys. They wont say it to my face, but behind the scenes itll be tough for them to root for the Cowboys.Lee understands, because there wasnt a bigger fan when he was a kid. Terrible Towel. Steelers jacket.He wasnt alive when the Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s and in 1980, including a pair of wins over the Cowboys. But he still had a Steel Curtain poster and a picture of Jack Lambert on the wall of his bedroom. Most of his favorite players came from the 1990s: linebackers (of course) Greg Lloyd and Kevin Greene, defensive back Carnell Lake.I was that kid who was bringing the Here We Go Steelers fight song to recess, playing it over and over again back in third grade, says Lee, referring to the 1995 season, when the Cowboys beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl. Its like here in Dallas. You grow up in Pittsburgh, youve got to be a Steelers fan.---AP Pro Football Writers Barry Wilner, Rob Maaddi, Dave Campbell and Arnie Stapleton, and Sports Writers Schuyler Dixon, Charles Odum and Steve Reed contributed.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLHakeem Butler Youth Jersey . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. Zach Allen Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. http://www.thecardinalsshoponline.com/Youth-Pat-Tillman-Cardinals-Jersey/ . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. Hakeem Butler Cardinals Jersey . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Adrian Wilson Youth Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race.The International Olympic Committees compromise on Russian eligibility in the upcoming Rio Games, announced Sunday, is guaranteed to satisfy the fewest number of people. It punts responsibility to each sports international federation on an absurdly compressed timetable, further complicating a Summer Olympics already beset with problems.With the torch lighting in 11 days, here are some takeaways from the ruling:The IOCs decision underscores how badly broken global anti-doping and sports governance are, on the eve of its showcase event. Sixteen years worth of attempts to harmonize global anti-doping rules have brought us to this juncture, and many have lost faith in the system. Individual athletes can be suspended for small amounts of pain or cold medications and inadvertent use of tainted supplements, but higher up the food chain, when it comes to federations and nations, the standard of strict liability doesnt apply.The rationale for the IOCs decision was individual athletes rights versus considerable evidence of systemic corruption in Russias sports establishment, and government involvement in that establishment. But the IOC then pivoted and said any Russian athlete with a prior doping offense cannot compete even if his or her ban was served. This rights issue has been arbitrated before and wont stand up if legally challenged.A wider investigation into Russian sport should have been triggered no later than January 2016, when Part II of the World Anti-Doping Agencys independent commission report was released. There was plenty of smoke at that point and athlete representatives called for it. Insttead, WADA did not act until May, pushing its newest report to mid-July.dddddddddddd Now, each individual international federation will cull through each Russian athlete using criteria that are not well defined, and apt to be unevenly applied. Many, if not all, of them are vulnerable to same overlapping interests as the IOC and WADA. So far, federations have rubber-stamped the Russian Olympic Committees nominations. What federation is going to buck Russia when the IOC wouldnt?Expect bureaucratic confusion and legal/arbitration challenges right up to the Opening Ceremony on Aug. 5 in Rio. The Parade of Nations will be suspenseful as we await the letter R.Fairly or not, any event where a Russian athlete competes or medals in Rio will be dominated by this conversation. This, in turn, obscures the fact that doping is hardly just a Russian problem.Whistleblower Yulia Stepanova was denied the chance to compete as a neutral athlete in Rio, condescendingly referred to as an athlete who doesnt meet ethical criteria in the IOCs ruling. Stepanova had to flee Russia in fear after helping expose corruption. Track and fields world governing body (the IAAF) and WADA both supported her bid to compete under a neutral flag. The IOC hid behind the rationale that athletes must compete under a national flag, when in fact the IOC has allowed athletes to compete under the Olympic flag in past Games, and authorized a refugee team for Rio. Not a great message to whistleblowers going forward. ' ' '