Uruguay and Italy played yesterday

[cherry452]

HOUSTON -- Case Keenum, who hasnt played in a meaningful game since he was in college back in January 2012, will start at quarterback for the Houston Texans this Sunday in one of the tougher environments in the NFL. Keenum will make his first appearance in a regular-season game against the rugged defence of the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, where the fans just set a Guinness record as the noisiest outdoor stadium in the world. So be it: Keenum will start for Matt Schaub, who is out dealing with injuries to his right ankle and foot, and will try to help the Houston Texans snap a four-game losing streak. "Were struggling, and were looking for a spark," coach Gary Kubiak said. "I think he deserves an opportunity to go out there. Its a tough place to play. Its a tough place to get your first start and all that good stuff. But Im not sending him out there by himself. Im sending him out there with his football team and the guys understand that." Keenum was a record-setting quarterback at the University of Houston before spending last season on the practice squad. The undrafted free agent has played in several preseason games, but hasnt played in a game that counted since leading the Cougars to a 30-14 win over Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl on Jan. 2, 2012. Keenum said he prepares for practice and preseason games the same way he got ready for games in his college career, so nothing will change for him this week. "It means just as much to me every rep I take, but obviously the games are definitely different," he said. "I guess I can officially say this is the best NFL defence Ive ever played, so this is going to be a big test." The Texans (2-4) have been hurt by penalties, turnovers and other mistakes during their skid. Kubiak chose to go with Keenum over backup T.J. Yates, who led Houston to its first playoff win two years ago when Schaub was hurt. He struggled Sunday after Schaub was injured, throwing two interceptions, the first of which was returned for a touchdown. Now theyll look to Keenum to help them get back on track. He isnt daunted by the challenge and is used to being the underdog. He said that people have doubted him his entire life. "Ive had a lot of people tell me I cant do a lot of things. Im too short or this or that, but you cant believe a lot of that stuff," said the 6-foot-1 Keenum. "You just have to be given an opportunity and you have to be ready when you get that opportunity." Keenum joked about his height several times on Thursday, but the best quip came when he was asked if its difficult to see over the much taller defensive linemen in the NFL. "Its different, but my receivers are taller so I can see them -- and theyre faster," he said. "Ive tried to grow, but I think Im done." In college, Keenum tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the third game of the 2010 season. Houston appealed for a medical redshirt and Keenum was granted one more season to take aim at the NCAAs career passing records with the teams ultra-quick offence. He led the Cougars to a 12-0 start in 2011 before a loss in the Conference USA championship game. He left Houston as the NCAAs all-time leader in career total yards (20,114), yards passing (19,217), passing touchdowns (155) and total touchdowns (178). Now hell face a defence which is allowing a NFL-best 10.8 points a game, leads the league with 30 sacks and has forced 12 more turnovers this season than their opponents, which also tops the league. "We just want him to go out there and react," Kubiak said. "Thats the reason hes on this team because of what hes capable of doing when he gets in those situations. Hell get ready to do his part and everybody needs to do theirs." Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, who coached Keenum at the University of Houston, said he Keenum will be "extremely prepared" and that he expects him to play well on Sunday. Keenums teammates also expressed confidence in him on Thursday. Receiver Andre Johnson raved about the quarterback. "Case just has sort of like an aura about him," Johnson said. "When hes out there, hes real excited, having fun." Mike Bibby Jersey . Maria Silvia Bastos Marques, president of the EOM (Municipal Olympic Company), will be leaving her post but will remain as an advisor, a city hall statement said Tuesday. Mike Conley Grizzlies Jersey . Even if he is shooting 38 per cent from the field overall this season, the Utah Jazz rookie always feels like his final shot is going in. http://www.thegrizzliesofficial.com/Authentic-Shareef-Abdur-Rahim-Grizzlies-Jersey/ . The move is retroactive to Aug. 1. Hosmer was originally hit on the hand in the first inning of a July 20 loss to Boston. He has played most of the time since, but missed a few contests due to the injury, then departed Thursdays win over the Twins and had tests that revealed the fracture. Allen Iverson Grizzlies Jersey . With the team he supported as a child on the verge of reaching the Champions League semifinals for the first time in 19 years, Ba instead scored the goal that knocked them out. Grizzlies Jersey . Jose Bautista homered for the fifth straight game in the sixth inning, following a two-out solo homer by Melky Cabrera. Edwin Encarnacion led off the seventh with a homer to tie the game 3-3 and, with two out in the seventh, Munenori Kawasaki came through with the two-out single to score pinch-runner Steve Tolleson with what proved to be the winning run. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- As the world was judging Uruguays Luis Suarez for biting a player in the World Cup, his teammates, coaches and fans in his soccer-crazy country defended the star, blaming the foreign media, his Italian opponents and uneven treatment. World Cup organizers scrambled Wednesday to quickly decide on a punishment before Uruguay plays Colombia Saturday in the round of 16. "We have to resolve it either today or tomorrow," FIFA disciplinary panel member Martin Hong told reporters Wednesday. "Its our duty to see justice done." The disciplinary committee meeting was already underway on Wednesday evening, FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer said. Wilmar Valdez, Uruguay football federation president, told the Associated Press shortly after midnight local time that the disciplinary hearing will continue Thursday morning. "What we know is they (the disciplinary panel) met for a long time," he said. "We dont know if thats a good or a bad situation." A day after he tangled with defender Giorgio Chiellini, Suarez was coping well, according to Valdez. "Luis is fine. Hes been through 1001 battles," he told the online site Tenfield.com on Wednesday. "We all know who Luis is and thats why we have to defend him." The bite -- just before Uruguay scored the clinching goal to eliminate the four-time champion Italians --will now test FIFA president Sepp Blatters often-stated commitment to "fair play, discipline, respect." Blatter, who was in the crowd for the Uruguay-Italy match at Natal, has pledged a zero tolerance for the darker side of the game. Many are questioning where that leaves a player like Suarez, who has a history of disciplinary problems including separate bans of seven and 10 matches for biting opponents in the Netherlands and England. Valdez said Uruguay officials were sent a video of the incident by FIFA, and would respond with footage showing Suarez -- a striker for Liverpool and last seasons player of the year in Englands Premier League -- as a victim of Italian aggression. "When he falls, several substitutes insult him on the ground and some members of Italys staff even came out of the bench to try to hit him," Valdez said, suggesting FIFA could investigate Italy. Uruguay also will cite Brazil star Neymar getting only a yellow card in a clash with a Croatia player, Valdez said. Uruguay federation board member Alejandro Balbi, who is Suarezs lawyer, blamed European media reporting. "This happened because there have been campaigns launched by the media in England and Italy," Balbi told UUruguayan radio Sport 890.dddddddddddd Suarezs teammate Diego Lugano agreed. "The British media has a vendetta against Suarez, and everyone knows that," he said. "Its obvious the vendetta sells newspapers in England, otherwise you wouldnt be here. Uruguay and Italy played yesterday. On Saturday Uruguay plays Colombia, I dont know why theres a British journalist asking about Suarez." Lugano said he had seen "much more violent plays" than the bite at the World Cup. "It was a normal taunt in football, and the world press ends up talking about something totally trivial," he said. FIFAs case against Suarez -- announced early Wednesday -- will be managed by a Swiss lawyer, Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA disciplinary committee. A former international forward himself, Sulser has worked for four years at FIFA, first as head of its ethics court. Sulser can choose to judge the offence within the scale of typical red-card incidents: A three-match ban may then be appropriate, banishing Suarez at least until the World Cup final should Uruguay advance that far. The maximum penalty would be a ban of 24 international matches. FIFA can also choose to ban Suarez for up to two years. That would cover club and international games and would ruin a widely speculated transfer to Barcelona or Real Madrid. Suarez and the Uruguay football federation had until 5 p.m. local time Wednesday (4 p.m. EDT/2000 GMT) to present a documented defence. Completing the case ahead of Saturdays match could be complicated if Suarez appeals. That challenge could go direct to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland for an urgent and binding ruling. However, one option open to FIFA and Sulser to avoid that scenario is that a suspension of "fewer than three matches or of up to two months" cannot be appealed, according to FIFA rules. Already, one of Suarezs sponsors said it was "reviewing our relationship with him." "We will not tolerate unsporting behaviour," 888poker said in a Twitter message. Last month, the firm announced a global endorsement contract with Suarez, a poker enthusiast. adidas, which also has Suarez as a client and is FIFAs longest standing World Cup sponsor, said it was monitoring the case. Meanwhile, Suarez was criticized by a Uruguay football great Alcides Ghiggia, the last survivor of the team which defeated Brazil to win the 1950 World Cup. Suarez "plays well but he has done things that are not normal for a player nor for a soccer game," Ghiggia told The AP. "I think FIFA can sanction him." Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '