Lob & Kritik » condary. What I really miss is being on a team and

Kansas or Iowa State will finally win a Big 12 game this week, and that might be the only conference victory for the Jayhawks or Cyclones.Their coaches are rebuilding teams traditionally at the bottom of the Big 12, and both plan to approach Saturdays matchup in Lawrence, Kansas, like they do every other game.Our biggest thing is weve tried to win every football game, and the realistic piece of this is its the next step for us, first-year Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said Monday.The Cyclones and Jayhawks are each 1-8 (0-6 Big 12) with lengthy losing streaks.There are some similarities. Its one of those deals where I think each coach has his own style, Kansas coach David Beaty said on the weekly Big 12 coaches teleconference. But really I think the big thing as you watch them, very much like us, if you focus on your team and really try to correct your execution and mistakes, I think thats where a lot of the progress is going to be made.The Jayhawks have lost 18 consecutive Big 12 games since a home win over Iowa State in 2014, their only conference victory that season. They have lost eight games in a row overall after a season-opening 55-6 win over Rhode Island that is Beatys only win in 21 games as Kansas coach.Iowa State is coming off its fifth straight loss , 34-24 at home to Big 12-leading Oklahoma, after which the ninth-ranked Sooners coach Bob Stoops had some complimentary remarks about Campbell.Were certainly starting and working really hard to build our program the right way from the ground up, Campbell said. Thats something that were continuing to be in the process of doing here.Both teams have been close to upsets this season.Four of Iowa States conference losses are by 10 points or less. The Cyclones never trailed at home against then-No. 13 Baylor until the Bears kicked a game-ending field goal to win 45-42.Kansas led by nine points in the fourth quarter against TCU, but the Jayhawks missed three field goals in the fourth quarter. The last miss came in the closing seconds after the Horned Frogs kicked one to go ahead 24-23.Since beating Iowa State in their Big 12 opener in 2009, the Jayhawks are 3-63 in conference games.Some other notes from the Big 12 call:- While Texas has won consecutive games and the players feel very good, coach Charlie Strong said they know they havent played their best football and are looking to improve. The Longhorns host 11th-ranked West Virginia on Saturday and need only one more win to get bowl eligible. We havent even talked about a bowl, Strong said. Were just looking to end the year the right way.- Stoops said it seems to have gone unnoticed that the Sooners played their Thursday night game at Iowa State without 14 players that were on the two-deep roster earlier in the season. But Stoops said the weekend off after the midweek game should really help the team. Air Max Australia .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Wholesale Air Max Australia . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. http://www.australiacheapairmax.com/ . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. Air Max Wholesale . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Air Max Australia Onine . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. For 16 years, the rhythm of my life in August was simple: helmet, pads and two-a-days. The schedule repeated like clockwork every year, from Glenbard West High School to the University of Iowa to the NFL.Until I retired in 2007.And then I thought: What do normal people do in August?The freedom was a bit jarring, after spending seven seasons in the cocoon of the NFL, where everything -- and I mean everything -- is scheduled and regimented from August through the end of the season.The NFL players who retired just this week will most likely have the same feelings. Eugene Monroe, Phil Loadholt and Greg Jennings all could still play ball, but they shut it down -- for good.We all retire for different reasons. I had a couple of small offers to play an eighth year for my fifth NFL team, but for what? To cover kicks again, to attack the four-man wedge, to scrap for a roster spot? Nah. Im good. I didnt see the value, and family life was calling.My wife was pregnant at the time with our second son, Patrick. Irish twins, they call it. And my oldest, Matthew Jr. -- who has Down syndrome -- was in therapy. I couldnt bring myself to move everyone across the country. Or to leave them behind for a job. No way.Family, ultimately, was my deciding factor. For others, its the grind of another season. It was no surprise to see vets like Monroe, Loadholt and Jennings call it quits on the eve of training camp. Even without the old-school two-a-days, the anticipation of a pro camp can absolutely crush your soul as a player.And remember, these vets arent built out of rubber like the rookies. They have injuries to deal with, their bodies are beaten down to almost nothing and the daily maintenance required to just get on the practice field can wear down even the toughest dudes.Plus, the players in todays game are now more educated than ever. They get it when it comes to injuries, concussions and future risks. Get paid, cash out and move on. Look at Calvin Johnson, who made more than $100 million playing ball. Hes already a Hall of Fame player, in my opinion. Hang it up? Why not? His body was starting to hurt.But just because the decision is clear doesnt make it easy. I remember staring at my retirement papers on the kitchen counter for days. It was like a piece of my life waiting to die.dddddddddddd.My wife mailed them. She had to. I just couldnt do it.The NFL has some nice benefits waiting down the road for vested veterans -- annuity, 401k, pension -- but all the security in the world cant prepare you for your first August without that familiar routine.I was in my early 30s when I hung em up. I drifted around for a while, jobless and without a plan. I had a degree in journalism from Iowa. That counts, right? But whats next?For me, it was graduate school. A masters in writing and publishing from DePaul in Chicago. Poetry classes. Non-fiction. Short story workshops. I entered an unknown environment. No one cared about NFL football, which I needed. Those classes became a bridge, a part of the transition.Was it a perfect jump into life outside of football? Not really. It was hard. Heck, its still hard. You never really get over losing that piece of your life.Sure, I miss the games. But those are secondary. What I really miss is being on a team and spending everyday inside a competitive environment with like-minded people. You cant recreate that stuff when you leave the game.Coaching DBs at IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst, Illinois, is the closest Ive come. The opportunity to get back on the grass, to compete, to talk football ... thats priceless. Sure, it keeps me young. And I love the kids. Thats a special thing when you build a relationship with your players. Man, its awesome. So is the feeling when your guys start to develop in a football program you believe in.But, more than anything, I needed that competitiveness in my life. It gives me balance with family and work. It gives me an opportunity to escape the real world for three hours a day on the practice field and on Friday nights. And it brings me back to an environment that fits my personality.Ive been told Im a football guy. Thats probably true. I think its the best game in the world. And it prepared me for life more than I ever expected. But Im still adjusting to life without it. And in some ways, I always will be.ESPN.com NFL analyst Matt Bowen played seven seasons as a defensive back in the NFL. ' ' '