rebounds in Sundays overtime win over Boston

CLEVELAND - Brian Hoyer has had some wild work week. Kd Basket Italia .The Browns quarterback held off hotshot rookie Johnny Manziel again to keep his starting job and now faces a must-win situation to keep Clevelands playoff hopes alive.All he has to do is outscore Andrew Luck and the high-flying Indianapolis Colts and their No. 1-ranked offence.All he has to do is outduel Luck while missing his most consistent wide receiver, playing behind a backup centre and with two rookie running backs who have had trouble holding onto the ball.And, all Hoyer has to do is appease a divided home crowd, with thousands ready to break into John-ny, John-ny chants the moment one of his passes wobbles off target.Maybe playing for your hometown team isnt all what its cracked up to be.Still Hoyer, who has put the Browns (7-5) in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002, believes he and his teammates can snap out of a three-week slump.Weve done it before, he said. This is the NFL. Not every week is going to be easy, and youre going to play tough teams. Thats not something that we havent done before and something I havent done before. I have total confidence in myself and in my teammates and in our offence. We just need to get back to what we do best. You see it in games, and when were on, were on.Hoyer certainly wasnt on last week in Buffalo.After throwing his second interception — and sixth in three games — he was yanked in the fourth quarter for Manziel, who came in and led the Browns to their only touchdown in a 26-10 loss.Browns coach Mike Pettine considered switching this week to Johnny Football, but decided that Hoyer gave the Browns the better chance to beat the Colts (8-4), who can wrap up the AFC South title with a win and if Houston loses to Jacksonville.Pettines choice prevented the Browns from making yet another quarterback change. Theyve already had 20 quarterbacks since 1999, and remarkably, Hoyer (10-5) is the only one with a winning record.Colts linebacker DQwell Jackson rode Clevelands QB carousel during eight seasons with the Browns, and feels Hoyer is under appreciated.Hes a winner, Jackson said. Guys follow him. Hes a great student of the game. He understands his strengths. He moves the ball around. Im pretty sure its been a tough road for him trying to block out all the noise and just play football. In my opinion, I think hes done a phenomenal job with just playing football and making the best out of his opportunity.Unless he wins, Hoyers chance could end Sunday.While much of the focus will be on Hoyer, who lost clutch wide receiver Miles Austin with a season-ending kidney injury, here are some other things to watch as the Browns host the Colts:JOHNNY PACKAGE: Manziels showing last week — 5 of 8 for 63 yards in two series — has the Browns considering using him more during games. Manziel said he took more snaps during practice, and Jackson figures No. 2 will make an appearance.I think at some point theres a good chance we could see Johnny Manziel, he said. If I were to put my offensive co-ordinator hat on, I would probably sprinkle him in a little bit just to keep us honest, just to keep us on our heels.LUCKS NUMBERS: Luck hits milestones each week, and hes on the cusp of doing it against the Browns, too. He needs five completions to reach 1,000 in his career, nine attempts to reach 500 for the third straight year, 20 completions and 81 yards passing to break Peyton Mannings NFL records for the most by a player in his first three NFL seasons (1,014 completions and 12,287 yards).WELCOME HOME: For several Colts, the trip to Cleveland is a homecoming. Jackson, return specialist Josh Cribbs, running back Trent Richardson, safety Mike Adams and Indy coach Chuck Pagano spent time with the Browns. Cribbs enjoyed a tight bond with Browns fans and was disappointed the team wouldnt re-sign him. Hed like nothing more than to take a kick or punt back all the way and celebrate with a leap into the Dawg Pound.BALL SECURITY: Fumbles have been a problem for Browns rookie backs Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West, who had the ball stripped by the Bills and returned for a game-changing TD.I let my team down, but its a big opportunity this week to redeem myself, said West. Im looking forward. Im past that point.TYING PEYTON: Colts receiver Reggie Waynes run as second-best could come to an end Sunday. Barring a surprise, the 36-year-old will tie Manning for the most games played in Colts history (208). A win would allow Wayne to tie Manning for another franchise record — most wins in Colts history (141).___AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Air Max 97 In Offerta . 1 Pete Sampras. Speaking ahead of an exhibition match against Andre Agassi in London on March 3, Sampras said on a conference call Wednesday that he is impressed by Federers longevity. Scarpe Air Max Plus In Offerta . - Kevin Labanc and Joseph Blandisi were a potent combination for the Barrie Colts on Friday night. http://www.airmaxshoponlineitalia.it/scontate-max-270-outlet.html . PETERSBURG, Fla. NEW ORLEANS -- Greivis Vasquez drew a round of applause when he first checked in against the team for which he played the past two seasons. Later, he all but silenced the New Orleans crowd with five straight points that gave his new team the lead for good inside the final two minutes. DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points, Vasquez finished with 14, and the Toronto Raptors snapped a two-game skid with a resilient 107-100 victory over the Pelicans on Wednesday night. "I was blessed enough to be out there at the end of the game," said Vasquez, who was traded by New Orleans after last season in a deal that brought Tyreke Evans to the Pelicans. "I had a really rough first half and then the second half I was just on a mission," Vasquez said. "I like close games, man. Im not afraid. I would never be afraid. Im the type of player that would risk everything. Thats how I got (the starting point guard) job here in New Orleans." Kyle Lowry scored 23, Amir Johnson added 17 and Vasquez finished with 14 to help Toronto overcome a 14-point first-half deficit and snap a two-game skid. Tyler Hansbrough, playing additional minutes with starting centre Jonas Valanciunas sidelined by a sore back, grabbed 13 rebounds, seven on the offensive end. "Thats psycho-T at his finest," DeRozan said of Hansbrough. "He went out there, played extremely hard, got rebounds and came up with some big rebounds late in the game. Thats just him." The game was tied at 94 when Vasquez scored five straight points in a 36-second span on a running floater and a driving layup as he was fouled -- the latter coming after Vasquez rebounded his missed jumper for one of Torontos 22 offensive rebounds. "Its cool to have a teammate like that because you see how much he wanted it," DeRozan said of Vasquez. "Thats why we call him Spicy. You never know what youre going to get until you eat it." Al-Farouq Aminu had 19 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which was without All-Star Anthony Davis because of an illness. The Pelicans could not deny that Davis absence, one game after his career-high 40 points and 21 rebounds in Sundays overtime win over Boston, was a factor.. Scarpe Paul George Italia. "Obviously, with a guy that can rebound like Anthony, its hard to make up for that," rookie centre Jeff Withey said. Evans had 18 points for the Pelicans. Eric Gordon added 15, but was shut out in the second half, when his playing time was limited after he was called for his fourth foul in the middle of the third quarter. "Once he got in foul trouble ... I think that probably broke his rhythm," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. Brian Roberts scored 11 points, while Alexis Ajinca and Austin Rivers each had 10 to keep New Orleans in front for most of the game. New Orleans led 94-90 on Witheys free throw with 4:26 left. But during the next 50 seconds, Johnson slammed home a putback dunk and followed that with a driving layup as the shot clock expired to tie it at 94. Next came Vasquezs five straight points, followed by Lowrys free throw and Johnsons tip shot to cap a 12-1 run from which New Orleans never recovered. "We played decent defence, forced them to miss and they got rebound after rebound," Williams said. "We missed a lot of shots, layups in the paint, but the rebounding tonight was not good at all." Gordon, Aminu (12 points) and Evans (10 points) all reached double figures in the first half, much of which was controlled by New Orleans. The Pelicans seemed to surprise the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors by racing to an early double-digit lead. Rivers driving layup gave New Orleans a 31-18 lead late in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the lead reached 14 points several times, the last on Aminus layup that made it 50-36. At that point, there was 5:20 left in the second quarter, which was about all the time Toronto needed to nearly pull even. The Raptors outscored the Pelicans 20-7 to close the half. DeRozan scored nine during the stint, including a three-point play on a driving layup and a 12-foot fade at the halftime horn that made it 57-56. NOTES: The Pelicans went 3-3 on their six-game home stand. New Orleans next plays at Atlanta on Friday, then hosts Miami on Saturday to open a four-game home stand. ... The Raptors have not lost three straight since making a seven-player trade with Sacramento on Dec. 9. ' ' '