08-29-2019, 03:30 AM
MONTREAL -- Speculation on Jim Popps future with the Montreal Alouettes has been put to rest, at least for now. Sheldon Rankins Womens Jersey . The only general manager the CFL club has had since it returned to Montreal after a 10-year hiatus in 1996 signed a three-year contract extension on Thursday that runs through the 2017 season. There was concern that the 49-year-old, who was in the final year of his contract, was ready to move on. But the Elkin, N.C. native said: "I plan to be here and fulfil my contract." He did not say if his deal includes an out-clause if he is offered an NFL job. He drew interest ahead of last season from the Indianapolis Colts and rumours of a move south have arisen periodically throughout his tenure with the Alouettes. Its assumed Popp would jump at the chance, but he said hed be just as happy to stay in Montreal until he retires. "I cant foresee the future," said the married father of six children, all born in Montreal. "I have to work. "I dont know if Ill ever retire, with six kids. But I love the job, the city and the team, so if it happens that way, youll find a very happy person. I dont dwell on whether (an NFL job) will ever happen. I know Im very fortunate to have a job. Theres really only two pro football leagues and there are 41 jobs. I have one of those." Popp was GM of the defunct Baltimore Stallions for two years, winning a Grey Cup in 1995, before the team moved to Montreal. He is 233-129-1 as a CFL general manager, adding Cups with the Alouettes in 2002, 2009 and 2010. In Montreal, his teams have never missed the playoffs and never won fewer than eight games in a season. But it looked like his stay was coming to an end last winter when owner Robert Wetenhall did not let him keep the head coaching job, left him out of the decision to hire Tom Higgins as coach and did not immediately extend his contract as GM. Popp took over as head coach for the third time in his career when Dan Hawkins was fired only five games into the 2013 season. He is 14-18 in the regular season as a coach. If there was any bitterness about not being allowed to coach, Popp said he is over it. "I have no hard feelings about anything," said Popp, who is also vice-president and director of football operations. "Its business. Its (Wetenhalls) team. "He makes the decisions. It was a real roller-coaster in the off-season, especially for me personally with different things that went on, but I knew the entire time that I might not be the head coach. I also want to make it very clear that my relationship with Tom Higgins is very good." Team president Mark Weightman said Wetenhall did not attend the news conference because he was ill. Weightman hopes the move will end talk of a rift among management. "For us, there wasnt a lot of doubt that it would play out this way," he said. "I understand how perception wasnt always that clear, so to have this done early, if it silences the critics or closes the door on that conversation, great. "We can focus on the season and winning some games. Having Jim secured for many more years is a big part of ensuring the stability of our club." Popp said that talks on his contract extension lasted only a week. "There was never any doubt or worries from my end that those discussions would take place," he said. Sheldon Rankins Youth Jersey . -- Kevin Stadler might be playing in the Masters for the first time, but hes already showing his old man a thing or two. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson Saints Jersey .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Colts by 5RECORD VS. SPREAD — Cincinnati 8-8, Indianapolis 11-5SERIES RECORD — Colts lead 18-10LAST MEETING — Colts beat Bengals 27-0, Oct. http://www.shoptheofficialsaints.com/Eli...ts-Jersey/ . No, really, his head. Late in the game, the St. Louis goalie craned his neck into the air to block a shot, taking a puck square in the mask.Way back at the start of the season, amid all the whistles and fouls, the defensive-minded teams appeared to be in trouble, a seemingly dying breed hamstrung by the NCAAs new hands-free rules. As the season progressed, the top coaches and teams adjusted to the changes and found ways around the impediments. Now, after the all increases in scoring and shooting percentages and offensive flow, the season has come down to a Final Four of teams held together by one common thread: shutdown defences. "In general, its like most sports: Defence wins championships," said Bill Frieder, a longtime coach and TV/radio analyst. "You still need to score, but basically when it gets right down to it, you have to make stops. The teams that can make a stop or two back to back are the teams that advance." The Final Four teams in this wild ride of an NCAA tournament earned a trip to North Texas this weekend because they can do just that. Florida is the best defensive team in the country, allowing just 88.5 points per 100 possessions, according to the analytics of KenPom.com. The Gators can be downright dominating on the defensive end, swarming ballhandlers and luring shooters into a fall sense of security before rising up to swat shots back in their faces. Defence has been a cornerstone for Bo Ryan since he won four national championships at Division III Wisconsin-Platteville and its been the calling card -- along with that ultra-patient offence -- since he arrived at Madison. The Badgers are fundamental and fierce, allowing about 56 points per game to NCAA opponents -- nearly eight less than before the tournament. For all the flash of Kentuckys fabulous freshmen, these young Cats can get after you on D. Kentuckys latest one-and-done lineup is filled with long, athletic players who can harass on the perimeter and guard the rim -- 10th nationally with 6.1 blocked shots per game -- like few teams in college basketball. And for all the hype heaped on Connecticuts Shabazz Napier, the Huskies are pretty husky when it comes to defence. Ryan Boatright has become a point-guard stopper -- he had four steals and helped limit Michigan States Keith Appling to two points in the East Regional final -- and UConn seems to have an entire roster of rim protectors, ranking 16th nationally with 5.8 blocked shots per game. "We are predators out there," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. In most years, the high-scoring teams often get the attention, whether it was Florida Gulf Coasts Dunk City a year ago or backk to Houstons Phi Slamma Jamma of the early 1980s. Ryan Ramczyk Youth Jersey. What usually happens at the finish? The best defensive teams end up with the hardware. Louisville rode its swarming, chaos-inducing defence to a title last season. The year before that, Anthony Davis and Kentuckys shot-swatting young Cats set an NCAA record with 335 blocked shots on their way to the national championship. In 2011: Connecticut 53, Butler 41. Great defensive teams litter the list of national champions throughout history, too. UNLV ran its wrecking crew through the bracket in 1990. North Carolina State and Georgetown let the air out of Phi Slamma Jamma in consecutive title games. Indiana played superb team defence during the last perfect season in 1976. Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton anchored the UCLA teams that ran off 10 titles in 12 years. Go all the way back to the 1950s and the San Francisco teams that won consecutive championships had a young Bill Russell dominating the middle before he went on to do the same thing for the Boston Celtics. "In the NBA, its always seems to come down to the teams that play the best defence and its no different in college basketball," Arizona State associate head coach Eric Musselman said. "At the end of the day, no matter how well you score, youve got to be able stop people." The Final Four teams have proven they can do it so far in the tournament. Wisconsin opened the NCAA tournament by holding American to 35 points and reached the Final Four by preventing Arizona from getting off a potential game-winning shot before the buzzer sounded in overtime. Kentucky held Kansas State to 49 points in its NCAA opener and held Michigan scoreless for nearly 4 1-2 minutes of a three-point Midwest Regional final win that sent the Wildcats to the Final Four for the third time in four seasons. UConn went toe-to-toe with one of the nations best defensive teams in the East Regional final, holding Michigan State to 39 per cent shooting and two field goals -- one at the buzzer after the game was decided -- over the final 5 minutes. Florida is the third team in NCAA tournament history to win four games by double digits and hold opponents under 70 points per game en route to the Final Four, limiting teams to an average of 55 points per game. "We just take so much pride into being able to disrupt the team and being able to lock down guys," Florida forward Patric Young said. So do the other three teams, a big reason why theyre all together in North Texas. ' ' '