nsive tackles. "Ed brings a physical presence to th

Houston quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick finally shaved the bushy and overgrown beard hed been sporting the entire season this week.And on the day he debuted his closely trimmed facial hair, he scolded reporters for not telling him how terrible his old look was.Im kind of mad you guys didnt tell me I looked like that, he said. I finally had time to look in the mirror and thought it was disgusting and decided to trim it down a little bit.He said getting rid of the wild look was not an easy task.We had to chop it down piece by piece, he said. It was definitely a significant amount of time to take it off.He said a bonus of the change is that his young daughters arent scared of him anymore. One of his sons remarked that he had the longest neck in the world.Fitzpatrick, who was benched two games ago, will return to the starting lineup Sunday at Tennessee with Ryan Mallett out with a season-ending chest injury. Some wondered if he decided to get a new look to go with his fresh start on the field?It was more just me getting tired with having to pick corn out of it, Fitzpatrick joked. When I eat pancakes in the morning with the syrup and stuff, it would be there for days. My wife asks me, Did you have pancakes this morning? (I say) No, it was four days ago. No more of those questions, which will be good.I KNOW THAT GUY: Zach Mettenberger had an up-close view of Odell Beckham Jr. and his great hands at LSU. For the record, the Titans quarterback wasnt surprised by that three-fingered grab Beckham made Sunday night for the Giants.Him and Jarvis (Landry) used to have some pretty cool ones at practice, Mettenberger said of his former teammates. I knew he could do that.That was a loaded offence at LSU with Beckham, Landry, Mettenberger and Alfred Blue, who has been filling in for Arian Foster with the Texans. Mettenberger said its cool to see them all having success now knowing they were all together a year ago.But for all the great catches Beckham made at LSU, Mettenberger said he hadnt seen anything like what the wide receiver did for Eli Manning.Hes a really special athlete, Mettenberger said. Once in a generation really.Another Manning was very impressed, too.Peyton Manning studies film like hes cramming for the bar exam. He has a mental rolodex of all the plays and calls and games hes ever experienced or witnessed. And hes as big a student of the game as anybody in the NFL.He said of all the receptions etched in his memory bank, none beats Beckhams.Thats as fine a catch as Ive seen, Manning said, before deadpanning: I was watching it on TV and its just what Newman graduates do. Its what happens.The Mannings and Beckham all attended Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans.MORE BECKHAM: Dallas cornerback Brandon Carr isnt the type to shy away from anything reporters want to ask him. But he hasnt taken kindly to questions about Beckhams spectacular catch, even if the Cowboys got a 31-28 win over the Giants last weekend.Carr was on the wrong side of history on the play, captured in the many images and the viral video stumbling to the ground as Beckham holds the ball in the fingertips of his fully outstretched right hand.I dont really get into the hoopla with the media and whatever yall be talking about, Carr said. We won the game. In this league, you play long enough, youre on both sides of the fence. Youre making plays, you get plays made on you.By the third question two days after the catch, Carr was on edge.I wont address it anymore, he said. If you all ask me, Ill just go lift weights in like three seconds.Coach Jason Garrett believes Carr will have the same short memory for Beckhams catch that hes had throughout a seven-year career.Hes a good football player, Garrett said. The guys who are mentally strong enough to keep coming back and handle success themselves, but also handle the adversities that happen, are the ones that are the best players.RUNNING RUSSELL: Before the big NFC West showdown on Thanksgiving night won easily by Seattle, 49ers defensive co-ordinator Vic Fangio was comparing mobile, running Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to Barry Sanders.Thats just how hard Wilson can be to stop when he keeps the ball himself.When Wilson has the ball in his hand, hes like defending Barry Sanders with his quickness and speed and elusiveness, Fangio said. Hes a tough assignment. Hes got more rushing yards than most of the running backs in the league.Vic coached against Barry, too, back in the day, Carroll said. I dont know if theres been a player that made a defensive coach or co-ordinator cringe more and tense up more. Because he could score from anywhere on the field. I think hes one of the great open-field guys that ever played this game.I dont know if Russells ready for that right now. Every now and then he gets out and makes a few yards and tries to get out of bounds without getting hit. Thats not at all like Barry Sanders.Wilson ran for a team-high 73 yards on 10 carries in last weeks 19-3 win against Arizona, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Marshawn Lynch managed just 39 yards on 15 carries.___AP Pro Football Writers Barry Wilner and Arnie Stapleton and Sports Writers Janie McCauley, Schuyler Dixon and Teresa M. Walker contributed to this notebook.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Jonathan Isaac Magic Jersey .J. -- Having Ondrej Pavelec earn his 100th NHL win and seeing Mark Scheifele and Evander Kane break goal droughts were nice highlights for the Winnipeg Jets. Shaquille ONeal Jersey .com) - Thursday marks the official debut of a new dirt racing surface at Meydan Racecourse. http://www.magicauthentic.com/kids-timofey-mozgov-magic-jersey/ . -- Brendan Leipsic had two goals and an assist and Nicolas Petan extended his point streak to 11 games as the Portland Winterhawks slipped past the Red Deer Rebels 5-4 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action. Nikola Vucevic Magic Jersey . Their 9-19 record remains identical to the crosstown rivals in Brooklyn and trails both Toronto and Boston in the Atlantic Division. Raymond Felton, their declining point guard, is back on the sideline nursing his third injury of the season. Melvin Frazier Magic Jersey . Seager had another triple, a home run and a double in a rare feat not seen in more than 40 years, leading Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners past the New York Yankees 10-2. "It was a weird play," Seager said of the triple in the fourth inning.MONTREAL -- The Montreal Alouettes have signed defensive back and special teams ace Ed Gainey to a three-year contract. Gainey had a breakout season with Montreal in 2013. The second-year pro scored his first career CFL touchdown in a Week 3 home game against Calgary after blocking Stampeder Rob Mavers punt and returning it 38 yards. He almost scored again Sept. 8 against the Argonauts. He scooped up a forced fumble by teammate Bear Woods on Toronto punter Noel Prefontaine before running it back 33 yards to the Argos one-yard line to set up a touchdown on the following play. He finished the season with eight tackles on special teams. In addition to his duties on special teams, the native of Winston-Salem, N.C., also contributed on defence and recorded a career-high 13 defensive tackles. "Ed brings a physical presence to the secondary and to special teams," said Alouettes General Manager and Head Coach Jim Popp. "His development will continue heading into his third year andd we expect Ed to have a great shot at starting for us in 2014.dddddddddddd" The Alouettes also signed cornerback Mitchell White and defensive end Collins Ukwu to two-year deals, and defensive back Trevard Lindly to a new three-year contract. White joined the Alouettes practice roster last October having previously signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent earlier in the year. The 23-year-old played five seasons at the Michigan State University from 2008 to 2012. Ukwu signed with the Minnesota Vikings and participated in the teams training camp in 2013 prior to joining the Alouettes practice roster last October. Lindley, a fourth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010, played in 11 games in his rookie campaign and tallied 21 tackles and an interception. He was released as part of the teams final roster cut down in 2011, but rejoined the Eagles during the 2012 off-season. The Alouettes also released non-import linebacker Curtis Dublanko. ' ' '