long-term, then theres absolutely no reason to make any of those moves.” Regarding questions

VANCOUVER - Jeff Tedford has returned to the CFL.Tedford, who played six seasons as a quarterback from 1983-88 with Hamilton, Calgary, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg, was named head coach of the B.C. Lions Friday.He replaces Mike Benevides in the position. Benevides was fired following B.C.s 50-17 loss to the Montreal Alouettes in the East Division semifinal.Tedford, 53, previously worked as an assistant under Lions general manager Wally Buono in Calgary from 1989-91.Ive always had fond memories and a soft spot in my heart for the CFL, both as a player and a coach, said Tedford during a late afternoon news conference at the Lions practice facility. I had great times doing both.Tedford helped the Stampeders reach the Grey Cup in 1991. The next season, he was hired as an offensive assistant at Fresno State where, as a quarterback for two seasons, he had set records for passing yardage (4,872) and touchdowns (35).He was later promoted to offensive co-ordinator at Fresno State (1993-97) and held the same position at Oregon (1998-2001) before he became the head coach at the University of California. He was named the Pac-10s top coach twice and led the Golden Bears to a conference title in 2006.Earlier this year, Tedford was hired to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive co-ordinator but left the team during the pre-season to undergo a heart procedure. That ultimately resulted in the two sides mutually agreeing to end his NFL deal, making Tedford available to join the Lions.While at Cal, Tedford tutored future NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington and Kyle Boller.Tedford says he is looking forward to developing a stable of young quarterbacks in B.C., which includes Rodgers younger brother Jordan and holdover Travis Partridge as well as veteran Travis Lulay, who sat out most of the 2014 season with a shoulder injury. The Lions finished last season 9-9, making the playoffs as the cross-over team in the East Division.Tedford says he came away very impressed from a meeting with Lulay this week and plans to work with him closely as he continues his recovery, which the coach views as critical to the teams success.Im very anxious to work with him closer, said Tedford. Thankfully, hes close enough to get here on a consistent basis, where we can visit.Tedford says he is also eager to organize his coaching staff and get to know veteran players. He was non-committal on the future of assistants, saying he had to discuss their goals with them and consider others with whom he has worked. But he wants to ensure that the Lions coaching staff has a considerable amount of CFL experience.After more than two decades away from the CFL, he does not believe it will be too difficult to reacquaint himself with three-down football.While I havent been following it that closely to understand all of the nuances of whats going on, I will get back into that very quickly, Tedford said. Ill watch a lot of tape.The Lions came under criticism last season for an inconsistent offence led by 14-year veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn, who has since been released. While Tedford is known for tutoring quarterbacks and offensive expertise, he wants to make sure the Lions excel on offence, defence and special teams.I believe its important to be solid in all three phases, he said. Im not going to be so worried about the past, Im really not. Im just focused on the future.Tedford has been spending the week in the Vancouver area getting familiar with the city. The late afternoon press conference was designed to accommodate his wife Donna, a Calgary native, who was eager to attend but had to fly in from Tampa Bay earlier in the day.The Tedfords, whose two sons were born in Calgary, are looking forward to resuming their life in Canada and having the chance to spend more time with Donnas family.This is a great opportunity because of where it is, he said. My wife can come back to Canada. My kids can come back to Canada.The new Lions coach called the move a lifestyle decision after he had two stents installed in his heart. He has been good to go for a couple of months.I have as much energy now as Ive ever had, Tedford said, adding he is focusing on exercising regularly and eating right.He and Buono took part in an official contract signing during the news conference. Tedford says the deal is only for two years, because the Lions did not offer a longer term.Insurance is one thing, but I wouldnt have moved my family 3,000 miles if I didnt feel pretty good about (the opportunity), he said.Tedford says he took the job because of his relationship with Buono and respect for the Lions franchise, which he always felt was difficult to play against.Buono, who kept in contact with Tedford over the years, says he is looking forward to having his former protege back in the fold and pleased with having someone who has built a solid career as a good advertisement for the CFL. But both Buono and Tedford dismissed the idea that the hiring was about helping the Lions rebuild.This is professional football and professional football is, and always will be, about winning, said Buono. Discount Adidas Shoes Uk . The win gives Canada its fifth title at the World Sledge Hockey Challenge. "Weve got to keep pushing," said Westlake, who led Canada with five goals in the tournament. "The second you let off the pedal, everyone catches up. Cheap Adidas Shoes Uk Outlet .com) - James Harden needed just seven made field goals to drop 35 points on the Philadelphia 76ers, leading the Houston Rockets to a 104-93 win on Monday. http://www.cheapadidasshoesuk.com/ . Andrew Luck couldnt believe his ears. Colts fans couldnt believe the scoreboard, and the Kansas City Chiefs couldnt believe their incredibly bad luck. Adidas Shoes Cheap Uk . - After three days of light, make that very light, workouts, Team Irvin and Team Carter are ready for tonights Pro Bowl. Cheap Adidas Shoes Wholesale . The seventh-ranked Berdych wants to focus on the ATP Tour after helping the Czechs beat the Netherlands in the first round. Seeking their third straight Davis Cup title, the Czechs will rely again on veteran Radek Stepanek.Despite just one regulation win in their last 15 games, Dave Nonis re-iterated that he is committed to both Randy Carlyles coaching staff and to supporting the teams young players, particularly Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner. Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Randy didnt get stupid overnight, hes a heck of a coach,” Nonis said, pointing out that he felt the Carlyle-led staff was the biggest reason the team broke its nearly decade-long post-season drought last year, adding that rumblings about his job security are “completely unfounded.” The GM, still in his first year on the job after taking over on January 9 from Brian Burke, named “consistency” as the teams biggest concern 36 games into the season. “Its not that we havent seen high-level play from them, its that it hasnt happened on a 60-minute basis very often, and it hasnt happened on a nightly basis and that has to change if we want to turn this around. Despite the ongoing struggles, Nonis has been encouraged by the play of the Leafs youngsters, particularly on the back-end. “One of the bright spot of our slide has been the play of our young players,” Nonis said, noting that Gardiner and Rielly “are the future of our team.” The decision to keep Rielly was one the Leafs brass had battled with all season, but with the 19-year-old demonstrating that he was one of the teams “top two or three defenceman over the last five games,” the choice was made to allow him to develop his game in the NHL. “His play dictated that he was going to be (with the Leafs moving forward),” Nonis said, while also mentioning that he expects both Rielly and Gardiner to keep playing on a regular basis. Furthering his commitment to the teams youth, Nonis made it known that the Leafs are going to have to live with the mistakes made by players like Rielly and Gardiner if the team wants them to develop properly.dddddddddddd “Theres very few young defencemen in this league that dont make mistakes, particularly ones that are offensive minded like Jake,” Nonis explained. “Jake has a bit of a gamblers mentality and thats what makes him special and what makes him dangerous and it also causes some turnovers.” Asked about whether he has explored trade possibilities, Nonis said he is having discussions but is not willing to pull the trigger on deals which would negatively impact his teams future. “If the moves available are going to hurt your team long-term, then theres absolutely no reason to make any of those moves.” Regarding questions about the teams leadership, Nonis gave his captain a strong vote of confidence, while also saying the loss of veteran centre Dave Bolland may have had a bigger impact than many thought. “Dion has probably played the best hockey he has as a Leaf, this year,” Nonis said. “The one guy that I think weve really missed in terms of how he plays the game in terms of what he brought to us early on is Dave Bolland. He was a catalyst early on for our team and I think a lot of the players were following him.” Touching on his big free-agent acquisition David Clarkson, Nonis explained he isnt expecting the $5.2-million-a-year winger to replicate the 30-goal season he had with the Devils in 2011-12, but does need him to provide something more than what he has demonstrated thus far. “We need David Clarkson to be David Clarkson. I dont think hes a 30-goal scorer, we said that when we signed him. We need him to be hard to play against...he needs to be himself, he cant do more than hes capable of.” ' ' '