worked so hard. You deserve to be here. Youve got this. And then

Patience runs out this time of year in the NFL.The demise in less than a week of Jeff Fisher and Gus Bradley as coaches of their respective teams provided examples. Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Jaguars boss Shad Khan grew tired of waiting for the on-field product to match their successes away from football.Those two firings, even though Fisher led the Rams through a difficult transition from St. Louis to Los Angeles and Bradley was well-liked by Khan and his organization, might be just the beginning.Consider some of these men in charge to be either in the endangered species class or approaching it: Marvin Lewis, Mike McCoy, Rex Ryan, Todd Bowles, John Fox and Chuck Pagano. Its not inconceivable that Chip Kelly and Hue Jackson could wind up on the cutting room floor, despite what their backers, uh, owners have said in recent weeks.It might hardly seem fair for some of those men and, frankly, in many cases it isnt. Fox, Bowles and Ryan deserve more than two years at the helms of their current teams. Lewis and Pagano have brought consistent winning to their franchises at various times in their regimes and probably could do so again.As a wise scribe once wrote, the most important position on any NFL team is owner. When that owner has the last name of Rooney, Mara, Allen, Kraft or Bisciotti, panic doesnt set in. They tend to choose the correct coach for their team and then let him coach.The rewards have been Super Bowl trophies for all of them under coaches given the opportunity to build a team and help it grow into a champion.Khan tried that approach with Bradley, who helped put together some great Seattle defenses under Pete Carroll. The arrangement flopped and the ugly end came Sunday when the Jaguars blew a 21-20 lead at Houston and fell to 2-12, with nine straight defeats. Bradleys 14-48 record was the worst winning percentage (.225) of any NFL coach with at least 60 games.I thanked Gus Bradley today for his commitment to the Jacksonville Jaguars over the past four seasons, Khan said in a statement. As anyone close to our team knows, Gus gave his staff and players literally everything he had. Our players competed for Gus and I know they have great respect for him, as do I.Gus also represented the Jaguars, the Jacksonville community and the NFL in nothing less than a first-class manner as our head coach. That counts for a lot. It is unfortunately evident that we must make a change. I thought it would be best to do it immediately after todays result so Gus can step away, relax and regroup with his family during the Christmas and holiday season.Thanks for the thinking of me so kindly, boss.In truth, though, Khan showed remarkable patience this season with Bradley, whom he considered firing in October. The Jags spent big money in free agency and thought they could contend for the weak AFC Souths crown. Instead, theyre ahead of only Kellys lowly 49ers and Jacksons winless Browns in the entire league.Khans approach over the past four-plus years should be commended. He looked around at Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, Tom Coughlin in New York until the end of the 2015 season, and John Harbaugh in Baltimore and recognized the need for continuity.But when that continuity manifests itself in so many losses, with hefty signs of regression, its time to move on.Thats why Jackson, a very popular coach in Cleveland, might not be back if the Browns match the 2008 Lions at 0-16. Its why Kelly, despite his massive contract and only minor rumblings about change even as his 49ers have lost 13 in a row, could go.It must be remembered, though, that canning both of them after they were saddled with such undertalented rosters -- and then hit hard by injuries -- means starting over with a new coach. And still with a low number of high-level players in those two cities.Owners contemplating coaching changes also should look at the standings first. The division leaders in half of the eight divisions have long-tenured coaches. Of the other teams in strong contention to get to the postseason, four more of those have guys who have been in place a while.And just because their clubs are struggling this season doesnt mean Ron Rivera, Bruce Arians and Sean Payton dont know what theyre doing.Caution before acting rashly pays off. Rushing to judgment rarely does.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Ultra Boost Billig Kaufen . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Adidas Schuhe Grosshandel Deutschland . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. http://www.yeezyschuhe.de/yeezy-schuhe-deutschland.html . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. Yeezy Schuhe Bestellen . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Yeezy Schuhe Deutschland . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. Excerpted from Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance by Simone Biles, Copyright ? 2016 by Simone Biles. Used by permission of Zondervan, www.zondervan.com.From Chapter 19: The Final Five... [On] Tuesday, August 9, our team did exactly what we had been training for so many years to do: We performed almost flawless routines and won team gold. If the all-around win was considered to be the jewel in the crown, the team medal was the crown itself -- the main reason we were there. On the podium afterward, feeling the heavy gold disc around my neck, I felt so privileged to be standing with my teammates. All I could think was, Wow, we did it. How long have I dreamed about this? We were so happy for each other and for ourselves, but our job was only half over. The all-around competition and the event finals were still to come. I wasnt anywhere near finished trying to make my family and my country proud.That afternoon, we told Martha that wed named ourselves the Final Five as a tribute to her. When we explained how wed all agreed on the name, she dabbed the corners of her eyes and said in her thick accent, Oh my God, I love you guys even more now! And she hugged us tightly. The rest of the afternoon and evening was a whirl of press interviews and photo ops, and then it was home to our little pod in the Olympic Village. We all fell right into bed, because we had to be up for our regular eight a.m. training the next morning. Before going to sleep, I carefully folded the green multicolored ribbon around my medal and put it at the bottom of my backpack. Later, they would give us sleek wooden cases to hold our medals, but for now, my makeshift storage would have to do.Can you believe we actually did it? Laurie whispered, stifling a yawn before we drifted off. Were not just Olympians now; were gold medalists.I was too exhausted from happiness to answer, so I just smiled. But when I awoke the next morning, I wasnt quite sure if the day before had all been a dream. I reached for my backpack and pulled out the medal, just to be sure. I unrolled the green ribbon and placed the gold disc in the palm of my hand, feeling its distinctive weight as I sent up a silent prayer of gratitude.Thursday morning, the day of the Olympic all-around competition, dawned bright and clear. The apartment was silent when I opened my eyes. The rest of the girls except for Aly had already gone to breakfast. From there they would head to the training hall. Later, they would be in the gymnastics arena to see Aly and me battle it out with the best in the world for the coveted all-around title.I went to find Aly. She was in her room and still in bed. I feel so good about today, I told her.Me too, she said, hholding up one hand for a fist bump.ddddddddddddWere so prepared. I have a really good feeling.My heart was galloping in my chest, but it wasnt nerves; it was excitement. I could hardly wait to get into the arena. Aly and I each showered and then we did our hair and makeup together in the living room. We took our time because the competition wouldnt begin until the early afternoon. I outlined my eyes in gold glitter and chose a nude lipstick instead of a bold one. The eye makeup, with my usual winged corners, was dramatic enough, and my sparkly leo would complete the effect. The night before, wed chosen the leos we wanted to wear and laid them out on our beanbag chairs. Aly had opted for the shiny red with lines of crystals fanning out from the neckline like bursts of sunlight, while Id selected a super patriotic number with sheer white crystal-studded sleeves, and dazzling red-and-white stripes running from the shoulders down both sides, framing a high-sheen blue fabric dotted with glittering stars. Id saved this leotard, my favorite, for the all-around. I hoped its shimmer would help me win gold.I was already feeling incredibly happy to be sharing this day with Aly, who was such a rock-solid competitor and friend. As we walked to the bus that would take us to the arena, we held hands like schoolgirls and bobbed our heads to the music coming through our headphones. Every so often wed hug each other and say, Youre good. Youve worked so hard. You deserve to be here. Youve got this. And then wed say, I love you so much. I love you, no matter what. Today will be a good day.Our warm-up in the training hall went without a hitch or a fall, and then it was show time. Before we walked out to compete, we always used the bathroom just in case. As I washed my hands and stared at my face in the mirror, my stomach was suddenly doing somersaults. I plopped down on a bench that was just outside the bathroom and tried to pull myself together. A few moments later, Aly walked out and sat down beside me. When she leaned her head back against the wall, I noticed she looked really pale.Are you okay? I said.She shook her head from left to right.Are you okay? she asked me.No, I said. I feel like Im going to throw up.The two of us sat there for several minutes, breathing slowly and trying to settle ourselves down.Were okay, I said after a while.Weve got this, Aly said.We can do this.Weve done this so many times.I love you, Aly.I love you, Simone.Lets go.We did another fist bump and walked out onto the arena floor.Courage to Soar releases on Tuesday, order your copy here. ' ' '