alth will help Jones-Drew return to t

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Jeremy Lin acknowledges he was surprised and disappointed by his first complete benching in nearly three years.The point guard who once sparked Linsanity from New York to China also isnt ready to quit trying to make a difference for the Los Angeles Lakers this season.Lin didnt play in the Lakers 99-85 loss at San Antonio on Friday, missing a game for the first time in his first season. He returned to coach Byron Scotts rotation in Sundays game against Houston, playing as a reserve in the first quarter.Im going to show up and do my best to play and work hard and stuff, but it definitely hurts, Lin said before Sundays game in his first public comments since being a healthy scratch.Im human. Ive got emotions, too. ... Its discouraging sometimes. Its disappointing sometimes. All of those emotions, of course. I dont think anybody would feel great after a DNP, anybody. It doesnt matter who you are.Lin started 23 of the first 43 games for the Lakers, who acquired him from Houston in the summer. But he lost his starting spot to journeyman veteran Ronnie Price and now rookie Jordan Clarkson, who made his first career start against the Spurs and his second against the Rockets on Sunday night.Lin hadnt been stuck to a teams bench when healthy since Feb. 2, 2012 — two days before he dropped career highs of 25 points and seven assists on the Nets to kick off the two-month stretch of remarkable play known as Linsanity.The Bay Area-raised, Harvard-educated guard with Taiwanese parents became a wildly popular athlete in Asia and earned a lucrative three-year free-agent deal with Houston.In terms of my career, the only thing thats really been consistent is the amount of inconsistency that Ive had in my life, said Lin, who was waived by the Warriors and demoted by the Knicks. Ive gone from being cut to D-League to starting to playing heavy minutes to ... a different role every week. Ive got to just keep trying to stay aggressive when I get out there. If I get out there.After 35 games with the Knicks and two seasons with the Rockets, Lin landed in Los Angeles and was ready to share minutes with Steve Nash, who was ruled out for the season before it even began. Lin is the Lakers second highest-paid player this season, making nearly $14.9 million in the final season of his deal.But Scott has shaken up his starting lineup in recent days during the Lakers tumble to seven consecutive losses, bumping forwards Wesley Johnson and Ed Davis in favour of Ryan Kelly and Robert Sacre. The Lakers are examining the potential of their younger players and hoping for a spark, but Scott hasnt written off Lin.The only thing thats for sure on our team is that the starting five is going to start, Scott said when asked if Lin would still play a role for the Lakers. Ive got to just watch and see how the game is. Ive got an idea of what Im going to do, but Ive also got to let the game kind of dictate that. Nate Orchard Jersey . Leave it to Matt Niskanen, the newly proclaimed Eddie Haskell of the Washington Capitals. Derrick Kindred Jersey . -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number. http://www.footballbrownsnflprostore.co ... te-Jersey/. -- Jerome Williams glanced at Philadelphias schedule and realized he would be facing the Oakland Athletics yet again, with another new team. Shon Coleman Jersey . According the CSNBayArea.com, the 31-year-old suffered an ACL injury in his right knee on Friday when he collided with Anaheims Emerson Etem during a pre-season game. Joel Bitonio Jersey . His actions are much louder on the Fenway Park mound. De La Rosa had another strong home start, going seven solid innings to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Free agent running back Maurice Jones-Drew is coming back home to Oakland after signing a three-year contract with the Raiders on Friday. Jones-Drew returns to his native Bay Area after spending his first eight seasons with Jacksonville and starring in college at UCLA. Jones-Drew joins quarterback Matt Schaub, defensive linemen Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley and receiver James Jones as successful veterans brought in by general manager Reggie McKenzie this off-season who are looking for a late career spark in Oakland. "Theres a ton of talent here," Jones-Drew said. "Reggie McKenzie and his staff have done a great job of piling on guys that are coming from programs that are winning and know what it takes. Granted, most of us have chips on our shoulders, at least I feel like I got (done) wrong. ... Its something thats going to drive us and push us to that next level." The Raiders also signed two defensive linemen, bringing back Pat Sims to a one-year deal and signing former Green Bay Packer C.J. Wilson. Sims played well in his first season in Oakland with two sacks and 41 tackles while starting all 16 games. He met with other teams before staying in Oakland, according to his agent Rick Smith. Wilson spent the past four seasons with Green Bay, recording 103 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks in 50 games with 11 starts. Jones-Drew had 8,071 yards rushing and 68 touchdowns for Jacksonville but was hampered by injuries the past two seasons. That led the Jaguars to let him test the market in free agency after his five-year, $31 million contract expired. The Jaguars thanked Jones-Drew for his work on the field and in the community. "Maurices toughness, determination and competitive spirit on the field served as a great example to all of his teammates," the team said in a statement. "Maurice has been one of the great Jaguars and he holds several team records for touchdowns that will remain for a long time. His place in Jaguars history is firmly established and we look forward to honouring him in Jacksonville at the appropriate time in the future." After more than two weeks on the open market, Jones-Drew finally found a new home in a familiar place. Jones-Drew grew up in the East Bay town of Antioch and starred at nearby De La Salle high school. Jones-Drew still spent his offseassons in the Bay Area and looked forward to being able to keep his family in one place and that his grandmother will now be able to see him play in person more often.dddddddddddd Jones-Drew has gotten hurt the past two seasons when playing the Raiders in Oakland. He missed the final 10 games in 2012 after injuring his left foot at the Coliseum. He strained a tendon in the same foot when playing the Raiders this past season. After ranking second in the NFL with 4,321 yards rushing in a three-year span from 2009-11, Jones-Drew has been limited to 1,217 yards in 21 games the past two seasons. He averaged a career-low 3.4 yards per carry last season. That has led critics to argue that Jones-Drew has lost a step at age 29 and is on the downside of his career. The Raiders are hoping good health will help Jones-Drew return to the elite form he had before the injuries. "I have a ton left in my game," Jones-Drew said. "People tend to look at running backs and say, Oh, youre 29, you dont have anything left. ... I feel like I have a ton left in the tank and I get an opportunity to show that here in Oakland." The Raiders needed help at running back after allowing Jones-Drews former backup in Jacksonville, Rashad Jennings, leave through free agency to sign with the New York Giants. Oakland did bring back injury-prone starter Darren McFadden on a one-year deal but has no other proven tailbacks on the roster. The Raiders are hoping last years sixth-round pick, Latavius Murray, can contribute after spending his entire rookie year on injured reserve. McFadden has missed 29 games over his six-year career with injuries and has averaged 3.3 yards per carry the past two seasons. Jones-Drew said he was told there will be an open competition at running back between him and McFadden. "He kind of has a leg up on me because hes been in this offence already before," Jones-Drew said. "My job is to come in and to compete to play. We both have something to prove and that will help us all out in the long run, competing and being able to push each other." The Raiders also re-signed defensive tackle Pat Sims for one year according to the players agent, and signed former Green Bay Packers defensive lineman C.J. Wilson on Friday. AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Fla., contributed to this report Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '