young boys into young men.The Dragons farewelled Ben Creagh, Benji Marshall, Mitch Rein and Mike Cooper.They are yet to replace hooker Rein and halfback Marshall. That will likely happen in a fren

Its rare enough for a football player from a military academy to make the NFL. How about a captain and Bronze Star winner?The remarkable story of Steelers tackle Alejandro Villanueva, an ex-Army Ranger who served three tours in Afghanistan, is being showcased in a new advertising campaign by USAA. The premiere of the 30-second commercial will be during this Sundays telecasts of games.Also in the ad (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOQbAnfaKig) are Villanuevas wife and young son. His transition from Army Ranger to NFL offensive lineman is depicted, focusing on protection -- of both Ben Roethlisberger in the pocket (Villanuevas current job), and insurance offered by USAA.USAA has been there by my side, and my familys side, through all of it, Villanueva says, and I am proud to partner with a company that shows so much support for our countrys armed forces.There also is a 2-minute version highlighting how Villanueva earned his Bronze Star for rescuing wounded soldiers while under enemy fire.Alejandro is a great example of the dedicated service and sacrifice that USAA members provide to our nation, says retired Navy Vice Admiral John Bird, senior vice president of military affairs for USAA. His background as a West Point graduate, Army Ranger, NFL lineman, husband and father is impressive and helps raise awareness of and appreciation for Americas military.DREW AND BOWEN: Few NFL players have embraced the availability of technology to aid their performances more than Drew Brees.Now, the Saints quarterback and three other players, plus Brees 5-year-old son Bowen, appear in a Microsoft video showcasing how NFL players are using their Surface tablets not only on the field, but off it for training.Bowen Brees also provides the vocals for a remixed version of If Youre Happy and You Know It that plays throughout the video, before concluding with a touching moment with his dad.Its always fun to have my family with me at work, and being able to shoot this commercial with Bowen was very special, Brees says. It was great watching (oldest son) Baylen coach Bowen and their interaction as Bowen prepared for his role.Also in the video are Rams running back Todd Gurley, Packers linebacker Clay Matthews and Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett.SIGN HERE: Browns rookie quarterback Cody Kessler brags about his hometown of Bakersfield, California, every chance he gets. The city returned the love last week by posting a billboard on an interstate near the Browns training facility that said: Cody Kessler, Good Luck from Bakersfield. Kessler was unaware of the sign, but went to see it the moment he was told.I thought that was awesome, he said. That meant a lot to me. I actually saw a picture of it first. Someone sent it to me, and then I ran over there and went and saw it afterward. Im very proud of where I came from and there are a lot of great people there that support me.Kessler said the city molded him into the person and player he is today.My dad and my mom both worked really hard and I learned from them, he said. I got to watch my dad really coach me in football and did not know a whole lot about quarterback, but he did everything he could to help me out and get me to different camps and stuff.I take a lot of pride in coming from Bakersfield.SIEMIANS START: Trevor Siemian is 3-0 as Denvers starter and is coming off a historic performance in Cincinnati, where he became the first quarterback to throw for 300 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in his first road start.Siemian was the 250th overall draft pick last year, and this weekend hell face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are led by QB Jameis Winston, the third No. 1 overall pick hes seen in the seasons first month.Siemian outperformed Cam Newton in the opener and Andrew Luck in Week 2. Last week, he outdid Andy Dalton, a second-round pick and two-time Pro Bowler.Opening day, he shocked everybody, and hes been rolling ever since, says Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. Im happy for him. I read a little bit and heard a little bit about his story, so Im happy for him. Were going to have a tough one on our hands on Sunday.Broncos coach Gary Kubiak has had No. 1 overall picks and seen late-rounders blossom over his coaching career.Youve got to be right on those guys early and its sure fun to be right on those guys late that you think have a chance, said Kubiak. But youve got to give the kid the credit hes the one thats done all the work.----SMARTER FOOTBALL: Six high schools and four youth organizations have received $10,000 in equipment upgrades from Riddell. The helmet manufacturers Smarter Football initiative recognizes such football programs throughout the United States and Canada for their commitment to implementing safer and smarter playing techniques, whether in practice or for games.All youth, secondary and college programs were eligible to apply for a Smarter Football grant. The winning high schools are:Brimley, Michigan; Max Vista, Imperial Beach, California; Nicholas Senn, Chicago; Tenino, Washington; Waggener, Louisville, Kentucky; and St. Benedict, Cambridge, Ontario.Youth organization winners are:Bay Saints, Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi; Gum Springs Youth Athletic Association, Alexandria, Virginia; Hobe Sound Ravens Youth Organization, Hobe Sound, Florida; and Who Dat Warriors Youth Organization, Indianapolis.The size of each high schools rosters ranges from 100 at Mar Vista for its varsity, JV and freshman squads, to 40 for the varsity at Tenino and at St. Benedict.Hobe Sound has 210 players ages 5-15, the most of the four youth organizations awarded the prize.--AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLFausse Air Max 90 Off White . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. Air Max Pas Cher Chine . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. http://www.outletairmaxpascher.fr/fausse-air-max-plus.html . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Fausse Air Max 270 React . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. Basket Femme Air Max 90 Pas Cher .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem.Luckless Newcastles record NRL losing streak will carry over into next season after their controversial 28-26 loss to St George Illawarra.But coach Nathan Brown insists the club will start its pre-season in a better position to how they did last November.An 80th-minute penalty goal by Gareth Widdop gave the Dragons their 10th win of the year at Kogarah Oval on Saturday afternoon.But the call to award the penalty by referee Henry Perenara for interference from retiring Newcastle forward Jeremy Smith in the play-the-ball appeared harsh.He dropped it on my foot and I was just getting up. Thats the story of our year, Smith said.In a game in which the captains challenge system was trialled but not used, the loss extended the Knights losing run to 18 as they became the first side since Gold Coast in 1993 to win just one game in a season.It was another harsh lesson for the Knights in the NRLs final round after they led 10-0 by the 12th minute and tied the scores at 26-all through a Mitch Barnett try with eight minutes to go.In the context of the game, there was no way that was a penalty, Brown said of the Smith incident before expanding on his hopes for 2017.At the start of the next pre-season, we will be in a far better position than we were last time.We lost 1200 games of experience and only gained Hokko (Trent Hoodkinson).ddddddddddddBut now we have introduced a lot of young players to first grade and now were under the salary cap.Daniel Saifiti was the best front-rower on the park today and he is only 19.Sione Matautia has moved to the back row and been great for us.We have had a lot of young players finding their way. It will be a tough pre-season but they have grown from young boys into young men.The Dragons farewelled Ben Creagh, Benji Marshall, Mitch Rein and Mike Cooper.They are yet to replace hooker Rein and halfback Marshall. That will likely happen in a frenzy of player movement after the season ends.Dragons coach Paul McGregor said his side struggled for consistency and against adversity throughout 2016.Outside influences and outside pressure had a fair impact, he said.We have to do better adversity-wise, and we just made far too many fundamental mistakes.Jason Nightingale and Joel Thompson scored two tries each for the Dragons as they ended the year on a winning note.The Knights allowed four Dragons tries during a 15-minute period in the first half.In a 15-minute window, we basically lost the game, Brown said of the game that had no effect on the final make-up of the top eight. ' ' '