NEU » ide of the ball.I will, Fisher said. Well

TORONTO -- Members of Team USA gathered for a few drinks after they were eliminated from the World Cup of Hockey.There was a lot to discuss.The United States was surprised by Team Europe and wasnt good enough against Canada, leading to two losses and a cascade of questions. John Tortorella as coach? Too much grit? Not enough skill? What might change after another all-too-familiar early exit from an international tournament? The pipeline of young talent for next time around?A few days isnt enough time to answer all those questions, especially for players whose job was to play a certain style of hockey -- not put together a roster or pick the coaching staff.I liked our team, winger Zach Parise said Wednesday. I thought we played hard. Its not a players job to speculate who should or shouldnt be on the team before or after the tournament.Phil Kessel took his shot. Left off the team along with scoring forwards Kyle Okposo and Tyler Johnson and defensemen Justin Faulk, Kevin Shattenkirk and Cam Fowler, the Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins winger tweeted after the U.S. loss: Just sitting around the house tonight (with) my dog. Felt like I should be doing something important, but couldnt put my finger on it.U.S. management went with a sandpaper style of play that resulted in a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics but hasnt worked since. Center David Backes said he believes that style of hockey can still win if executed correctly.To come here and flop like we did is extremely disappointing, defenseman Ryan Suter said. Obviously we have to examine ourselves and what more could we have done and how can we get better for future tournaments.The 0-2 start revealed the Americans brought too much physicality to a skill game. Canada, Russia, Team North America and others have thrived with fast-paced, entertaining hockey. Speed has been king at this international tournament, but Backes noted that the Americans werent going to out-skill Canada. With the aim of beating Canada, U.S. general manager Dean Lombardi instead built a big team with an edge in hopes of neutralizing the talent of the top hockey power in the world.Instead, the World Cup showed that depth of talent is everything. Leaving more skilled players at home was too much to overcome.Kessel was the Americans leading scorer and best player at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, but he was left off the roster. Hand surgery after the playoffs may have put his availability in doubt, but USA Hockeys management team clearly overlooked him and others.The U.S. opted for old-guard players like forward Brandon Dubinsky, defensemen Jack Johnson and Erik Johnson and grinder Justin Abdelkader. Tortorella, as old-school a coach as there is, wanted to play his brand of hockey and stood by the roster construction and style.Canada outclassed the U.S. in a 4-2 whacking Tuesday night that wasnt as close as the score. Not only could the Americans not beat the tournament favorite but they werent able to knock them around, either.As a team we have some bigger guys who are physical, Canada captain Sidney Crosby said. It doesnt mean they have to chase hits.In the aftermath of the loss, players talked about hitting the post and being close. They also defended their teammates against criticism, even while conceding the results werent good enough.Theres perhaps a gut check for everybody thats on this team to know or to evaluate really what they were able to give or what they gave for the red white and the blue, Backes said.Tortorella was not made available to reporters on Wednesday. Lombardi was expected to speak Thursday before the U.S. finishes round-robin play with a meaningless game against the Czech Republic, which also failed to reach the semifinals.Patrick Kane, who did not score a goal in two games after winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP last season, wouldnt blame his coach for this failing.Tortorella is just one of the most passionate guys Ive ever seen about hockey, Kane said. Ill never say a bad thing about him. Hes just a great coach. We didnt show up for him.Lombardi and other executives will take heat for the World Cup debacle, though it might lead to philosophical changes about how to beat Canada and win elite tournaments. It will help at future events to have players like Auston Matthews, Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Brandon Saad and Seth Jones, all of whom played on the 23-and-under Team North America and werent eligible for the U.S. team.There is definitely a fantastic future coming here, Tortorella said Tuesday night. There are some good young kids there that I think theyll bring some juice to the program.For now, there is the final game against the Czechs. Parise said the U.S. wont repeat what it did in against Finland in the bronze medal game at the Sochi Olympics, essentially mailing it in.All of us probably really regretted what happened that game, Parise said. You ask yourself, `Could we have played harder with the bronze medal on the line? ... Well come and play hard just like there is a spot on the line to get in.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhynoKhris Middleton Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Oscar Robertson Jersey . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. https://www.bucksrookiesshop.com/Vin-Baker-City-Edition-Jersey/ . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. Brook Lopez Bucks Jersey . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Oscar Robertson Bucks Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach.Not many expected Miami to be in the position it is as the Hurricanes prepare to play host to Florida State Saturday. That is, ranked ahead of the Seminoles (No. 10 to No. 23) and with a better record.The Hurricanes are 4-0 and 1-0 in ACC play to Florida States 3-2, 0-2 ledger as they look to the prime time meeting in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET with ABCs cameras catching the action.Asked what he might have said if had been told before the season that his team would be 4-0 and ranked No. 10, Miami coach Mark Richt downplayed its significance.I probably would have been that it doesnt mean a whole lot at that time of year, he said. Id be happy and thankful to be 4-and-0 -- thats what you want, you want to win every game and all.But you coach 33 years, its not that big of a deal, Game 5.No, he is not saying playing Florida State is not a big deal.I didnt say the game wasnt a big deal, he quickly added. I said being ranked ahead of them was not big, if everybody can clarify that. All games to me are a big deal, period.Of more import than rankings are what weather conditions might be when the two intrastate rivals clash. It could be a rainy night in South Florida depending on what Hurricane Matthew might leave in its wake. So far there is no indication that the date or site of the game will be changed, but it may be difficult for the teams to navigate through the conditions.How that might affect Miamis offense with quarterback Brad Kaaya at the helm is a bit of an unknown factor.It does affect the game if theres rain, if its nasty, Richt said. I dont even know for sure how well Brad throws a wet ball cause we havent really practiced a lot in the wet. Theres been a couple times and he seems to throw it pretty good.Better than most. Some guys it is heart attack time if it rains. Im serious. If that balls slick and they dont have a big enough hand or they just dont throw a wet ball well, it can really affect what you do.I think Brad can throw a wet ball pretty good.He certainly has shown he can throw a dry one. The junior starter is completing his passes at a 66.3 perrcent clip with eight touchdowns against three interceptions (two in one game).dddddddddddd In last weeks 35-21 win over Georgia Tech, he passed for 241 yards with 13 completions in just 19 attempts.We didnt have that many plays, Richt said. But he graded extremely high in decision-making, his accuracy super high.Florida State is coming into the clash with more concerns than simply the weather. After starting out ranked No. 4 in the preseason poll with four first-place votes, the Seminoles have lost two of their last three games, including a 63-20 thumping at Louisville and a 37-35 heartbreaker on the games final play (a 54-yard field goal) to North Carolina last week.Defense has become a real issue for the Noles. They have given up an average of over 35 points and 438 yards a game in total offense. Their last three opponents -- Louisville, South Florida, and North Carolina -- have combined to score 135 points.Though Jimbo Fisher expressed confidence in third-year defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, the head coach also said he likely will get more involved in the game planning on that side of the ball.I will, Fisher said. Well have to look and evaluate and make sure all the schemes and everything we do and the players understand what we want. Well be involved and support those guys and make sure theyre doing the right things.Offensively, the Seminoles are clicking with running back Dalvin Cook having rushed for 407 yards and five touchdowns the last two games. Redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois has got his collegiate career off to a great start with a pair of 300-yard passing games already.Oh my gosh, Richt said when asked his opinion of Francois. Hes a great athlete who can throw the ball well, pass the ball well. Ive seen him throw some balls that were super impressive -- on the run, in the pocket, quick-gain screens, QB run stuff, and creating stuff on his own.You can have a defense that does everything right in the passing game and then there he goes. ' ' '