thrown only 11 touchdown passes with nine interceptions and ha

The common refrain at the Aishbagh Stadium -- located in the heart of the central Indian city of Bhopal -- if you happen to be within earshot of animated spectators at a hockey match, is dodge karo, goal maro(dodge and score a goal). The crowd knows a drive from a drag-flick, doesnt take back-passes too kindly and is generous in its profanities when it comes to a sloppy defensive line. Legend has it that four decades ago, a Railways team with nine Olympians in it lost a national match to a Bihar team and then had to run to the safety of their hotel rooms, skipping across railway tracks and leaving their equipment behind, to escape the ire of the spectators.Hailing from this city, steeped in the legacy of the sport which can be spotted even in its most forlorn and dimly-lit street corner, 22-year-old Affan Yousuf never questioned its sustained presence in his life. With his father Mohammed Yousuf, grandfather Khuda Dad?and uncle Sameer Dad?having played for the Indian national team, Affan knew it would be a bit of an aberration had he picked anything other from hockey for a living.Making his senior international debut two years ago under Terry Walsh, at the Hockey World League Final, Affan slipped away from the national horizon thereafter. Now, part of the Indian side currently away at the Asian Champions Trophy in Malaysia, he knows that this opportunity would be hard to let go without leaving an impression.The pressure is crushing, admits the forward. I have to perform, he says, Theres no other option. And Affan delivered on Asian Champions Trophy debut, scoring Indias final goal in a crushing 10-2 win against Japan on October 20.Few know his game as closely as a certain Vasudevan Baskaran, who led India to gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and coached both Affan and his uncle Sameer Dad. Affan is a natural left winger and can strengthen the existing team, says Baskaran, Like we saw in Rio, once SV Sunil was marked theres no play in the left zone and India has little option but to depend on penalty corners. Thats where Affan comes in handy.The transition from an outstanding junior to a reliable senior in Indian hockey has been a challenging one, and it hasnt been particularly smooth for the Bhopal boy. Chief coach Roelant Oltmans insists that while Affan had the talent, he was not picked earlier since his play lacked maturity and needed to adapt a lot more to the team style. I had some performance issues, Affan concedes, I think I needed time and experience to improve.Stressing on the need for Affan to grasp the teams style of play and adapt his approach accordingly, Baskaran says, Oltmans has changed some core ideas in the team, like not to lose the ball and to steer clear of wild passes even if theres no space in the forward line. And instead give it back to the defender and start over. Thats something Affan should learn.Starting out with football in school, Affan then switched to hockey and stayed put. During his early years, his father Mohammed Yousuf, who was a left-winger in the national side was his obvious choice for an idol.He would soon find fresh inspiration in his uncle, Sameer. The uncle-nephew combine led the attacking line together for the Bhopal Badshahs, coached by Baskaran, in the World Series Hockey in 2012. Playing for Air India at the senior hockey nationals a year later, Affan and Sameer, then aged 19 and 34 respectively, scored four out of the six goals in the final against Hockey Punjab. Playing alongside my uncle helped me learn a lot, says Affan, That experience was special and will always stay with me.Bhopal is known to have its own brand of hockey. Aside from their dodging skills, most players from the city are known to be natural left-wingers, who rely almost solely on taking on opposition players in one-on-one situations. The crowd, Affan reckons, isnt swayed by big names -- for them, the quality of play is all that matters. While earlier there was a steady stream of players from Bhopal in the national side, the numbers have dipped in the recent past. This is something that Affan himself ascribes to limited exposure, but his presence in the national setup can only benefit both the city and the player.Affan has all the skills to be a part of the core group of the present national side. In fact, the core group should ideally change every year and not remain the same for four years like in the present setup, says Basakarn, Affans dodges in particular are unbelievable. Hes in fact a lot better than some of the current players like Ramandeep (Singh) and Nikkin (Thimmaiah).For now, Affan is keen to cement his place in the Indian side and carry forward the family legacy with his impact during the course of the Asian Champions Trophy, hoping to help India reclaim the crown they last won in 2011.Ive found this opportunity after a long time, says Affan, This is my chance to prove myself. Puma Ireland Online . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. Wholesale Puma Ireland . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.wholesalepumaireland.com/ . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Puma Clearance Sale . PETERSBURG, Fla. Cheap Puma Ireland . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. ALAMEDA, Calif. -- When Derek Carr was preparing for the 2014 NFL draft, there was one quarterback-needy team that never came calling.After drafting Carrs older brother David with the first overall pick as an expansion team in 2002, the Houston Texans showed no interest in Davids little brother, taking pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 pick and then guard Xavier Sua-Filo at the top of the second round -- three picks before Derek Carr went to Oakland.Well, they never talked to me, Carr said Thursday. I never talked one word to a Houston scout, G.M., coach anything. Im just happy to be here, I can tell you that.The Raiders are even happier as Carr has developed into one of the leagues top young quarterbacks in his third season and is a major reason why Oakland (7-2) is in position to end a 13-year playoff drought.Carr has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 2,505 yards with 17 touchdowns and a passer rating of 99.1 heading into Monday nights meeting with the Texans (6-3) in Mexico City.Hes having a heck of a year, Texans coach Bill OBrien said. Hes only thrown three interceptions, I think hes completing almost 70 percent of his balls, doing a good job throwing the ball down the field, and he can run. So, yeah, hes doing a lot. Hes got a good grasp of their offense. We evaluated all the quarterbacks coming out in that draft and we felt like he was definitely one of the better quarterbacks.They just decided against taking him. There was speculation at the time that Houston passed on Derek Carr because David struggled during his time with the Texans.David Carr was sacked 76 times as a rookie in 2002 and 249 times in five seasons. He never had a passer rating higher than 83.5 and didnt produce a winning record in any season with Houston before ending his career as mostly a backup with Carolina, San Francisco and the New York Giants.With help from a stronger offensive line and good pocket presence, Derek Carr has been sacked only 62 times in 41 career games.He can go up there and fix a problem, ESPN analyst Jon Gruden said. If theres a blitz coming on the left, he doesnt miss it; he changes the protection. He hand signals the route. He keeps tthe Raiders in optimum play selection, and things dont have to perfect.dddddddddddd. I mean, if the pocket isnt clean, he can just slide two feet to his right and throw an awkward-delivery release 18 yards down the field on the dime. Hes got very good pocket skills.Gruden worked Carr out at his quarterback camp before the draft and came away extremely impressed. He recalled Carr hitting a target 20 yards downfield so accurately that it broke the cameras filming the session.Carr has shown more of those skills while starting every game for Oakland since entering the league.Houston, on the other hand, has started seven quarterbacks in that span. The Texans gave Brock Osweiler a $72 million, four-year contract this offseason to fill that role but he has struggled in his first full season as a starter.Osweiler has completed just 58.6 percent of his passes and is last in the league with 5.6 yards per attempt. He has thrown only 11 touchdown passes with nine interceptions and has a passer rating of 74.1.Now they get a chance to see how much Carr has developed since he faced them two years ago in his second game as a starter.Carr was intercepted twice that game as Oakland lost 30-14 as part of a 0-10 start to his career.Now, he shows signs of reading defenses, changing plays at the line of scrimmage, he can make all the throws, he can control the pocket and his movement in the pocket so that he can make a throw, Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said. Hes a different cat and better. Hes a better guy then we faced a couple years ago.Game notes The NFL said there was no update on the status of LB Aldon Smith, who is waiting to be reinstated after his one-year suspension for substance abuse ended Thursday. Commissioner Roger Goodell must decide whether to reinstate Smith before he can make a comeback. ... DL Mario Edwards Jr. remains sidelined from a preseason hip injury.---AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '