NEW YORK -- The NFL will keep a close eye on hits to the knees of defenceless players this season, with the possibility of exte

NEW YORK -- The NFL will keep a close eye on hits to the knees of defenceless players this season, with the possibility of extending the rules protecting such players. Air Max 1 Wholesale . If the leagues competition committee finds enough evidence this season that hits to the knees are "becoming a problem," it could take action, chief of football operations Ray Anderson told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The committee could make a recommendation to the owners next March to prohibit direct hits to the knees of defenceless players. The owners would then vote on such a change. "We are always looking at plays that may elevate themselves and we do include in that category hits on defenceless players," Anderson said. "And certainly the hits to knees to players who have not had the opportunity to protect themselves or are not looking in the direction of where the hit comes from -- we have had a couple hits whereby a player was hit below (or at) the knees." Currently, hits to the head and neck of defenceless players are outlawed. But two direct hits to the knee in preseason games that injured Miami tight end Dustin Keller and Minnesota defensive tackle Kevin Williams have drawn complaints from some players. Keller is out for the season with several torn knee ligaments. Williams has a hyperextended knee. Anderson said the league will monitor plays during the year, study the data when the competition committee begins meeting after the season and see whether such hits to the knees are an "aberration or becoming a problem." "This issue has not directly come up," Anderson added. "But when we have had discussions when making the head and neck area completely off-limits to players, there was some concern players might lower their targets and might include knees and below. We will look at that going forward." Wholesale Lebron James Shoes .com) - Chris Kreider tallied a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers capped a successful California road trip with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Wholesale Air Max 720 . Fans can also watch the game on the newly launched TSN GO (currently available to Bell TV and Rogers customers), which gives TSN subscribers the freedom to live stream the networks programming from their smartphones, tablets, and computers at no additional charge – just as they would watch Canadas Sports Leader on TV at home. The following week, MLS ON TSN is at BMO Field in Toronto to deliver live coverage of TFCs home opener vs. D.C. United on Saturday, March 22 at 4:30 p. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/ . With the results, North America claimed 2.5 of the three available points, opening up a 17.5-12.5 lead in the overall standings. A total of 60 points are available, meaning the first team to 30.5 points will win the Continental Cup.NEW YORK -- Playing in prime time on national television against an AL East rival, the big names in the middle of Bostons lineup delivered. David Ortiz hit his 450th homer, a colossal three-run drive, and Dustin Pedroia had three RBIs during his second consecutive three-hit game to lead the Red Sox over the New York Yankees 8-5 Sunday night. "To get to where we want to be, those guys are going to have to drive the bus," winning pitcher John Lackey said. "You need the parts to do well, too, but theyre kind of the engine that runs this thing." Lackey (9-5) laboured through five innings before four Red Sox relievers pitched shutout ball the rest of the way. Held to two runs in the first two games of the series, Boston took two of three anyway to finish a 4-6 road trip and improve to 6-13 away from home this month. "Anytime you win a series on the road, particularly against a team thats ahead of us, these are key," manager John Farrell said. Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran (three hits) homered for the Yankees, who have dropped six of eight. Rookie right-hander Chase Whitley (3-2) struggled for the second straight start, allowing five runs and eight hits in four-plus innings, as six New York pitchers combined for eight walks. "Youre behind in the count, youre walking people and giving them extra baserunners, it usually leads to damage," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. Koji Uehara worked a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 19 attempts. After averaging 2 hours, 45 minutes in the first two meetings this weekend, the longtime rivals were back to their usual plodding ways in a game that took 3:38. Pedroia made a diving play at second base to limit a Yankees rally, and centre fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. threw out Beltran at the plate to keep the score 8-5 in the sixth. It was Bradleys ninth assist of the season. "Changed the momentum of the game," Farrell said. Pedroia bounced a hit-and-run single through the right side in the third, and Ortiz was booed by the sellout crowd of 48,124 as he stepped to the plate. The slugger answered with a long drive well into the raised bleachers in right-centre to make it 4-0. Ortiz tossed his bat aside and took his time on a wide trot around the bases, saluting his family in the stands as he approached third base. "My son, he always eenjoys watching daddy go deep. Nike Air Max Plus Wholesale. He was dancing," Ortiz said. The home run put Big Papi in sole possession of 37th place on the career list, two behind Adam Dunn and Red Sox Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. "Pretty cool," Ortiz said. Handed a comfortable cushion, Lackey grew frustrated and shook his head as Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter fouled off pitch after pitch in the third. They combined to see 21 pitches in consecutive at-bats, and Lackey screamed, cursed and gestured wildly when Jeter grounded an RBI single to right. "Thats going to take its toll," Farrell said. Perhaps worn down a bit, Lackey gave up solo homers to Teixeira and Beltran in the fourth, cutting it to 4-3. Whitley and reliever Shawn Kelley threw 10 straight balls to begin the fifth, combining to walk the bases loaded with none out. Pedroia blooped a two-run single and later stayed in a rundown long enough for Daniel Nava to score from third. "Im most frustrated with the pitch to Ortiz, obviously, and the walk to Bradley that set up the fifth. That was unacceptable," Whitley said. Ichiro Suzuki tripled to spark a two-run rally in the bottom half. He scored on Gardners double. Pedroias sacrifice fly made it 8-5 in the sixth. Mike Napoli doubled to start the second and scored on a single by slumping Stephen Drew, his second RBI in 57 at-bats this season. Touted prospect Mookie Betts made his major league debut for Boston in right field. With his parents and fiancee in the stands, the 21-year-old Betts grounded into a double play his first time up but singled in the fourth for his first hit. Jeter tossed the souvenir ball to a Red Sox bat boy, and Betts was promptly caught stealing. "It was great," Betts said, acknowledging he felt some jitters during his first at-bat. "Im not one to put any extra pressure on myself." NOTES: Rookie SS-3B Xander Bogaerts, in a 2-for-35 slump, was left out of the Red Sox lineup. ... Boston is 27-26 at the current Yankee Stadium, the best winning percentage for any visiting AL team. ... Red Sox RHP Jake Peavy (1-6, 4.93 ERA) starts Monday night at Fenway Park against Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta (4-1, 2.05). ... Before this weekend, the last time the Yankees and Red Sox played consecutive games in 2:47 or less was April 2001. ' ' '