Forumsfragen » to say Im going to say it." But Toronto re

ALLEN PARK, Mich. - Calvin Johnson is expected to return this week as the Detroit Lions enter a critical stretch of the season.Johnson said Wednesday he is back to his normal practice routine and will play Sunday when Detroit (6-2) hosts the Miami Dolphins (5-3) at Ford Field.Feeling good, Johnson said. Extremely motivated, especially with where we are as a team right now. Weve got Miami coming to our house so (lets) go ahead and get off to a good start in the third quarter of the season.Johnson sat out three games with an ankle injury while Detroit carried on and went 3-0 in his absence, albeit with less-than impressive offensive numbers.The Lions have not gained more than 400 yards since getting 417 in a Week 1 win over the New York Giants.But Johnsons return brings renewed hope with Detroit holding a one-game lead over Green Bay (5-3) in the NFC North.It changes (our offence), obviously, quarterback Matthew Stafford said. Maybe not so much in the plays we run but in how defences treat us. ... Were dangerous in the pass game when hes out there, so teams are probably worried about defending him scoring an 80-yard touchdown first.Golden Tate emerged as a reliable No. 1 target with Johnson sidelined, grabbing at least seven receptions in each of the past four games. Extra reps for he and rookie wideout Corey Fuller over the past month could pay dividends during the second half of the season.Golden had a big opportunity this year with Calvin and a bunch of other guys going down to step up, Stafford said. He grabbed that role and played extremely well for us. ... With the addition of him and hopefully getting Calvin back and some of the other guys at some point, (the offence) could be dangerous.Detroit has also been without tight ends Joseph Fauria, Brandon Pettigrew and rookie Eric Ebron, all three of whom did not play against Atlanta. Running back Reggie Bush was also unavailable against the Falcons, but said Wednesday he will be back for the Miami game.Detroits rushing offence is second-worst in the NFL and in need of a spark entering a key three-game stretch against Miami, at Arizona (7-1) and at New England (7-2). Bush said everyone must do a better job in the backfield, but a healthy Calvin Johnson should help too.Hes a running backs best friend, Bush said. Having him out there, even if hes just a decoy its great for the run game. I think thats going to have an (impact).Miami is one of the hottest teams in the NFL having won four of its past five games, including a 37-0 home win against San Diego last week.Weve got a lot of work cut out for us because were playing a team thats playing extremely well on both sides of the ball, coach Jim Caldwell said. This one presents every challenge that we could possibly think of.The Lions started 6-3 last year, but dropped six of their last seven games to miss the playoffs. Bush said its important to keep that in mind as the Lions prepare for three straight games against teams with a winning record.They dont give out any awards after the first half of the season, Bush said. If anybody should learn from last year its us. We shouldnt be looking ahead, we shouldnt be talking about the playoffs. We should be looking at this game and thats it.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap Jerseys Paypal . -- Thirty years ago, the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime, a game that remains the highest scoring in NBA history. Cheap Authentic Jerseys .com) - Demario Richard posted four touchdowns and Kweishi Brown came up with a key late interception as No. http://www.authenticnfljerseys.net/. The club announced Friday that Mauro Biello will be kept on as an assistant to coach Jesse Marsch when the Impact join the MLS in 2012. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys . -- Fresh off their surprising run in the playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers have signed head coach Terry Stotts to a multi-year contract extension. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . -- Jimmie Johnson has a sixth NASCAR championship in hand and two legends within reach.MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- He plays with passion and energy and always has something to say but Brandon Isaac will have a bit more juice than usual Friday night. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats colourful linebacker will face his former Toronto Argonauts teammates for the first time since being released by the CFL club in July. Isaac helped the Double Blue win a Grey Cup title last year and was a team captain to start the season before being let go four games into the season. The four-year CFL veteran will arrive at Rogers Centre with a definite chip on his shoulder in the opening game of a home-and-home series between the long-time rivals. The Argos face the Ticats in Guelph, Ont., on Oct. 14. "I can say you play a little harder, you can say that because youre going to have that grit to win and try to prove those guys wrong," Isaac said candidly. "Ive thought about it (facing the Argos), Ive looked at it a few times (on the calendar). "Its here now and as a team were ready to play and see where were at." Ticats coach Kent Austin, always a model of political correctness when addressing reporters, could only shake his head at Isaacs brutal honesty during Hamiltons pre-game news conference. "Thats not what I wanted to hear," a smiling Austin said, drawing laughter from the assembled media. And asked if Isaac had been watching his news conferences this season, Austin jokingly quipped: "Apparently not." However, Austin said hes not concerned about emotions getting the better of Isaac on the field. "Look, football is an emotional game and youve got to play with your heart but you also have to play with your head," he said. "B.I. brings us . . . the energy, the emotion, the physicality our defence needs. "He handles it the right way." Isaac definitely has the gift of the gab on the field and says hell have plenty to say Friday night. "Theres a couple of things I want to say," he said. "I envision me making certain plays and saying certain things but those plays have to happen for me to say it that way. "Im going to talk and whatever I feel at that moment is the right thing to say Im going to say it." But Toronto receiver/returner Chad Owens (ribs) -- who will be game-time decision -- said the Argos expect to face a motivated and vocal Isaac. "B.I. is a good football player," Owens said. "He tries to get under your skin but were not going to involved in that. "Whether he knows it or not, that energizes both sides of the football, that will get us going. We have to know where hes at, we have to understand what hes doing, when hes blitzing and we also have to worry about what were going to do." The game is an important one for both clubs, who will play their final five regular-season contests against East Division rivals. Toronto (9-4) can clinch a home playoff game with a win and would cement first in the East if the Montreal Alouettes also lose to the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday. Hamilton (6-7) can close ground on the front-running Argos with a victory and would claim a post-season berth if Edmonton and Winnipeg (which is visiting Calgary) also both lose. "Thats what our season has come down to," Austin ssaid.dddddddddddd. "Its pretty apparent theres good and bad news. "The good news is theyre all Eastern teams, the bad news is theyre all Eastern teams so we have to prepare well because theyre the most meaningful games." Sophomore Zach Collaros makes his sixth straight start for Toronto in place of veteran Ricky Ray, who suffered a shoulder injury against Calgary on Aug. 23. Ray will be the Argos No. 3 quarterback behind Collaros and backup Trevor Harris. "Hes not at 100 per cent, hes probably at 85 per cent strength in his arm but if he has to play, he can," Milanovich said of Ray. "We want to get him out there and used to his pre-game routine and going over the wristband . . . so if its next week or the week after hes ready to start that its not the first time he goes through it." Toronto is 4-1 since Rays injury, becoming the first CFL team ever to win all four games of a four-game road trip in the process,. They rallying from a deficit in each road win. Collaros has been especially impressive in the fourth quarter of those contest, completing 33-of-38 passes for 372 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions and a stunning 142.5 quarterback rating. "I guess weve executed, Ive thrown better, weve caught it better and done all those things better in the fourth," Collaros said. "I dont really know if their is an answer for that. "We need to find an answer for the first couple of quarters to get it going and not make it so hard on ourselves." Hamilton will have rookie safety Courtney Stephen back in the lineup while former Washington Redskin Brandon Banks will return kicks. "He (Stephen) is going to be a really really good football player in this league for a long time," Austin said. "We had pretty high expectations for him but I think hes developed faster than I thought he would. "Banks is a natural returner . . . hes got a great initial burst. Well see come gametime but what Ive seen in practice is what Ive seen on his tape and thats a guy who has good vision and runs with vision, not just with speed." Friday nights game will be Torontos first at home since dropping a lacklustre 20-9 decision to Montreal on Sept. 9, the first game after Ray was injured. "Im very excited to be back home," Milanovich said. "Just playing in our stadium and not having to concern yourself with weather and some of the decisions you have to make from a head coachs perspective on the road makes it a little bit cleaner. "It seems like its been a long time since weve gone into that locker-room." Milanovich downplayed the significance of Torontos record-setting road trip, suggesting it was a first because clubs dont often play four straight games from home. Of more importance, he said, was the Argos pulling together to find ways to win in hostile environments. But Austin said Toronto deserves to be in the discussion about which are the CFLs top teams. "Theyre a good football team, theyre well coached, they play well together and they believe in one another," he said. "You can see it, you can see the chemistry . . . Its hard to beat a team that has a high level belief that theyre unbeatable." ' ' '