to block a brahma bull on a bad day and the next, its like trying to

NEW YORK -- In advance of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final, the coaches put on a show. First Rangers coach Alain Vigneault fired back at the Canadiens, dismissing the assertion by Montreal counterpart Michel Therrien that there is a gentlemans agreement among coaches that they not watch the other team practise on off-days. And he said Therriens comments that Montreal knows where Rangers forward Derick Brassard was hurting might come back to haunt the Habs coach. "Let me put it this way. I just hope nothing happens to (Brassard) or Michel could be in trouble," a feisty Vigneault said. The coaches friendship, he suggested, was on hold. "I think (Therrien) said prior to the series, for this two-week period, were not really friends and hes probably right," Vigneault, whose smile seemed a little forced, said after the morning skate Sunday. Vigneault was followed by a grinning Therrien, who looked to kill his rival coach with kindness. "Alain Vigneault, first of all hes a good friend," said Therrien. "Im privileged to be one of his friends. Hes an important person in my life. Hes one of the guys that pushed for me to get into pro hockey. And I will respect that. "And over the years, we become great great friends. And Ive got tons of respect for him. And hes a good coach. But right now were battling for the same thing ... Weve got to put our friendship aside, for what two weeks? But Im sure when everythings done and over, as soon as get a chance to see each other, were going to have a nice cold beer, like we did in the past. "Nothing is going to change, but right now were competing for the same goal. And thats normal." Vigneault, renowned for his calmness, has had a bee under his bonnet in recent days. In three games -- the Rangers led 2-1 going into Game 4 -- there has been one surgery, two suspensions and a lot of talk. The Rangers coach seemed to have a chip on his shoulder Sunday. He has lamented the officiating that led to a Game 3 flare-up which resulted in Brandon Prust breaking Derek Stepans jaw and Rangers forward Dan Carcillo being suspended for jostling a linesman in the aftermath. "Were trying to play whistle to whistle," Vigneault said. "Were trying to do the right things. I know in the hockey world we were painted as dishonest and dishonourable. Were not. We follow the rules. We follow the rules on the ice, and we will follow the rules off the ice." The Habs have complained about the Rangers play, questioned some of their injuries and looked to get under their skin at every turn. "Hockey is a beautiful game," Vigneault said. "Its done by great competitors on both teams. I wish a lot of this stuff didnt happen." It has been a series where the two coaches have hardly said a word without considering their impact. While Prust was awaiting a league sanction for his hit, Vigneault detailed the extent of Stepans injury. After Carcillo asked that his 10-game ban be reviewed by commissioner Gary Bettman, Vigneault questioned the role of linesman Scott Driscoll in the play. Therrien dismissed the suggestion that the Habs may be looking to capitalize on Brassards return to the lineup from injury. "Hes a good player. There is no free pass. Were in the playoffs. But the intention is not to hurt the guy. I mean, come on," he said. "We have to play Derick Brassard hard like we have to play all those New York Rangers hard with emotion and the best playoff hockey," he added. Therrien said he was giving Vigneault some of his own medicine. "I was saying the same thing Alain said about Carey Price, that he knew before, he knew what the injury was and that the hockey world its a small world," he said. "Its true, its a small world. So we knew exactly what happened to Derick Brassard. And by the way, hes a good player. Hes an important player." As for the Canadiens asking the Rangers assistant coaches to leave Montreals practice Saturday, Vigneault responded Sunday by saying his staff was treated unfairly. "There is no rule. There was no agreement between both teams. That is the exception not the rule." If there is a deal, its only because the opposing coach or GM calls to ask for it. "Never happened," he added. Vigneault called the Montreal behaviour regrettable, adding it was lucky the situation did not escalate. Therrien stuck to his guns, although he did say perhaps there was a breakdown in communication. According to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, NHL Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell met with Therrien and Canadiens GM Marc Bergervin on Sunday to discuss the issue. "My staff and my coaching staff were under the impression that there is a gentlemans agreement. So probably there was a miscommunication. ... But from our standpoint, we still believe that there is a gentlemans agreement." Asked about personnel, Vigneault said Stepan was recovering at home from surgery although he had visited his teammates Sunday morning. Dominic Moore was expected to move up and replace Stepan with J.T. Miller replacing Carcillo on the fourth line. Therrien was asked zero questions about his lineup, with all the talk on the gamesmanship in the series. Michael Bournival is expected to replace Prust, who was suspended for two games for the Stepan hit. NOTES: Sunday marked 20 years since Mark Messier, after promising the win, scored a natural hat trick to help the Rangers defeat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final. Baltimore Orioles Pro Shop . - All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked spry enough in pregame warmups Sunday for Green Bays divisional playoff game against Dallas. Orioles Jerseys 2019 . Prado stuck his glove down with Colorados Charlie Blackmon sliding into the bag, and quickly jumped back in pain after applying the tag. Prado held his left wrist as trainers came out of the Diamondbacks dugout to check him. https://www.cheaporioles.com/ .com) - Many people at Eastern Washington are waiting to see if star quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Orioles Jerseys China . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest. Orioles Jerseys 2020 . However, it wasnt a problem on Monday night. Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for his 56th career shutout in the New York Islanders 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night.I saw three very good football games for three completely different reasons. Indianapolis 34 - Seattle 28, Denver 51 - Dallas 48 and the one I always enjoy the most, Sunday Night Football, San Francisco 34 - Houston 3. How about Andrew Luck in Indianapolis? He scored 34 points on a very good defence on and was a part of a win against a very good team. Now everyone says how lucky the Colts are to have Luck but in many ways, it goes both ways. With the Colts, you have Chuck Pagano as a head coach and we all know what he has been through. Enough said. Pagono is a relationship builder and, in a performance-based sport, he enhances confidence as opposed to always testing confidence. One of the reasons that Luck is so good, so fast is talent yes, but also he is not afraid to fail. The guy who calls the shots has his back. An opposite of that could be Greg Schiano of Tampa Bay. Josh Freeman has some issues but were they that insurmountable? The 49ers are paying Aldon Smith his full contract while he gets it together. Players notice that type of benevolence and realize that maybe, just maybe, the organization is with them as much as trying to get the most out of them. Tony Dungy was like that, Tom Landry behind the public eye too and both won Super Bowls. Pagano gets it that, yes, they are football players but they are also people playing football. In Dallas I cant imagine what it must be like to be Tony Romo. Every newspaper, every radio station and any sports on TV is about you and the mistake. I saw it too, but I also saw a player by the name of Danny Trevathan make a spectacular interception. His body was parallel to the ground when he caught the ball. It was amazing interception to win the game. Yes, Romo makes a critical mistake in key games and I am sure there is a team of psychologists that would love to get him on the couch. But Romo threw for 506 yards, making play after play in a great game. I will take that over one moment of misjudgment any time. Dallas is a dangerous team. They need Anthony Spencer back but have improved in the interior offensive line and Doug Free at right tackle is grading out well. How scary was it to see Peyton Manning get his head twisted on the pass rush? I guarantee you he will be checked out 20 times by next game.dddddddddddd In San Francisco, the 49ers are back. In the battle between the zone blocking of Houston vs. the complex man-on-man blocking of the 49ers, the man-on-man system won. Both systems work but to run the blocking patterns that the 49ers run stuns me. There is so much line of scrimmage adjustment that goes on, so much communication, that often you lose your aggressive desire because you have to think so much. Not San Francisco. They attack and, in a game that Colin Kaepernick did not complete many passes, the 49ers offensive line had a spectacular evening. Finally, J.J. Watt has it all: speed, quickness, strength, emotional intensity and maintains it for four full quarters. But Watt may also have the most polished defensive tackle and defensive end technique I have ever seen. His upper body and lower body are perfectly coordinated on pass rush moves and plays with exceptional leverage against the run. Watt is so hard to block because on one play, it it like trying to block a brahma bull on a bad day and the next, its like trying to block a butterfly just minding its own business. The technique used by football players who do not touch the football is not noticed or respected because it just looks like two big bodies running into each other. But Watts greatest asset is his skill set; how he uses his body to disengage and get to the ball. He could put on a clinic. Hes a very smart football players in how he keeps an opponent off balance. As good as Watt has been, Im not sure how to handle Matt Schaub at quarterback. Hes had four interceptions returned for touchdowns, which is mentally tough to overcome as you start trying to avoid mistakes, the opposite of playing with confidence. Houston does have St. Louis at home next week but for Gary Kubiack, this is a tough one. Kubiack is a former quarterback so his decision will be the right one because it is based on experience, not emotion. The best game of Week 6 should be New 0rleans at New England with the Patriots coming off a loss, and Washington at Dallas with the Redskins coming off the bye. Looking forward to it. ' ' '