NEU » nues, Im still not convinced the Sharks can win

The Buffalo Bills have placed their faith in quarterback Tyrod Taylor by signing him to a contract extension.Sources told ESPN the deal is for six years and $90 million. He will make $9.5 million in 2016, up from a previous base contract of $2 million.Taylor could earn up to $20 million more through difficult-to-reach incentives, sources said, but the Bills can release him by the third day of the 2017 league year and pay him only the $9.5 million he would have made in 2016. They have another out available after the second year of the deal.Im definitely thankful for the Pegulas, for the Bills organization and for Rex Ryan, for giving me an opportunity, first and foremost, Taylor said. Them offering me a contract for this many years definitely shows that theyre all-in, which is what our phrase is for this year. As far as a mindset going into a game, having financial stability or not having it, Im a competitor from day one.The team announced the deal Friday, reached a day before the Bills open their preseason by hosting the Indianapolis Colts.?Taylor was entering the final year of his contract.Next years option is for $15.5 million with a base salary of $12 million, sources said.Before the team exercises the option for the second year, that year is guaranteed for injury at $27.5 million, sources said. After the option is exercised, the guarantee becomes $50 million for injury and $40.25 million fully guaranteed -- including the money he was paid in 2016 and a portion of his 2018 base salary.Taylors base salary of $13 million for the 2018 season will become guaranteed in March of that year. The deal contains no guarantees for after the 2018 season, sources said.Every year you have something to prove, Taylor said of the Bills options in the deal. This is a competition-driven league. Its not like the NBA where everything is guaranteed. You can cut at any given time. Every time you step on that field, you have something to prove, and thats been my mindset every time I step on the practice field -- theres something for me to prove, and Im going to continue to keep showing that every time.Contract talks ramped up over the past month, and the signing comes a week after Taylors agent, Adisa Bakari, attended training camp outside Rochester, New York.We looked at it as we have a quarterback now, general manager Doug Whaley said. I hate to say it, but lack of a better term, we didnt want to be greedy. We like working with Tyrod. We have faith in Tyrod. The coaching staff has faith in Tyrod. But most importantly, the team has faith in Tyrod and Tyrod has faith in himself. So, we said lets go with what we have on hand and were excited about the future.The 27-year-old is being rewarded for displaying his dynamic dual-threat potential with a strong arm and scrambling ability in going 8-6 as a first-time starter last season and being named to the Pro Bowl. He completed 242 of 380 attempts for 3,035 yards and threw 20 touchdown passes. He set the franchise record for quarterbacks with 586 yards rushing and scored four times, trailing only Cam Newton in rushing yards (636) and rushing touchdowns (10) by a quarterback.Taylor did miss two games with a knee injury.We went back and looked at everything he did last year and then we took into consideration how he came into the offseason, how hes got a greater command of the offense, and a greater command of the team, Whaley said. And then when you take into account what he has shown on the field in this preseason camp, we just felt, again, that it was the right time and the right deal for both parties involved.Taylor spent his first four seasons serving as Joe Flaccos backup with the Baltimore Ravens before signing with the Bills in free agency in March 2015. He won the No. 1 job in Buffalo after a three-way offseason competition against former starter EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel.This year, Taylor has already shown signs of becoming more confident and taking on a larger leadership role. Numerous offensive players have credited him for being more assertive in the huddle.Coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Greg Roman project that Taylor has great potential to build off last season because he is more familiar with the playbook.Buffalos offense made significant jumps under Taylor last year and after the team retooled its roster by adding several established threats, including running back LeSean McCoy and tight end Charles Clay.The Bills led the NFL with 2,432 yards rushing and finished 13th with 5,775 net yards offense, the most since 1992.Taylor becomes the latest candidate to fill what has been an unsettled position in Buffalo since Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly retired after the 1996 season. Since then, the Bills have had 12 quarterbacks, including Taylor, start at least eight games. Its a group that included Todd Collins, J.P. Losman, Trent Edwards and Kyle Orton.Drew Bledsoe, from 2002 to 2004, was the only quarterback to retain the starting job over a three-season stretch.Taylor becomes Buffalos third quarterback to earn a contract extension since Kelly retired, joining Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2011 and Doug Flutie in 1999.Fitzpatricks extension, a six-year, $59 million deal, was notable because it failed to pan out. He lasted just one more season in Buffalo before being cut after the 2012 campaign, and the Bills started fresh by using a first-round pick to draft Manuel.Information from ESPNs Adam Schefter and Dan Graziano, ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.Cheap Devils Jerseys . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. http://www.cheapdevilsjerseys.com/ . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Wholesale Devils Jerseys . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Cheap Devils Jerseys Authentic . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.What do you need to know about last nights big stories? Joe McDonald gives us his take on the biggest and best. This is where we say, Morning, Joe.Capuanos reprieve: After the Florida Panthers fired coach Gerard Gallant on Sunday, attention turned to New York Islanders bench boss Jack Capuano to see if he was next. New ownership is serious about having a winning product, so with the team struggling early and at the bottom of the standings, changes would make sense. So I like the way the Islanders have responded the last two games, beating the Calgary Flames?2-1 in overtime and then following it up with a dramatic 5-3 win over the reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. Against the Penguins, the Islanders played their best hockey of the season for the first two periods and gained a 3-0 lead. Pittsburgh soon erased the deficit, but the Islanders Anders Lee scored with 26 seconds remaining in regulation for the win. That was a character win, another example of the Islanders resiliency this week. It hasnt helped that the Islanders let three key players -- Matt Martin, Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen -- walk during the offseason, but if they can play like they did in the last two games, Capuano deserves a stay of execution.Backup steals the job: Calgary Flames goalie Chad Johnson has carved out a solid career as backup, a role he has played his entire NHL career. Now in his first season with the Flames, the 30-year-old has proved crucial once again. He made 39 saves and earned his third shutout in the last eight games to help Calgary to a 3-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Johnson is the type of goalie who rises to the occasion. You mighht wonder, if hes so important to a teams success, why has he been on four different teams the last four seasons? Simple: Organizations dont want to pay a lot for a so-called backup, and Johnson earns himself a raise every season (hes making $1.dddddddddddd7 million this season). He was 17-4-3 for the Boston Bruins in 2013-14, then 8-8-1 for the Islanders in 2014-15 and 22-16-4 for the Buffalo Sabres last season. Hes 8-4-1 with the Flames while the struggling Brian Elliott?gets his game in order.?Johnson has earned more playing time.Sharks will be tamed: The San Jose Sharks have become a perennial regular-season winner and last spring reached the Stanley Cup finals, where they lost to the Penguins in six games. That loss has motivated the Sharks: After 24 games, they are atop the Pacific Division with a 14-9-1 record for 29 points. The Sharks are playing their best hockey of the season, posting their fifth win in the last six games with a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. Sharks forward Logan Couture had two goals and one assist for his first multigoal and three-point performance of the season. Hes been solid in his last six games, scoring five goals and adding two assists. But even if the teams success continues, Im still not convinced the Sharks can win a Cup. Sure, the roster is loaded with incredible talent. It has the goaltender in Martin Jones, a top two-way defender in Brent Burns and plenty of talentnues, Im still not convinced the Sharks can win