lichick or Pete Carroll are. Had any of those three done the job Zimmer has without his starting quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater) and left tackle (Matt Kalil) and Hall of Fame-caliber runner (Peterson), he

PARIS -- Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emerys tough stance with his key players is not paying off.His side is struggling to keep up with surprise leader Nice, and if PSG loses at Lille on Friday and Nice beats Nantes, then PSG will slip nine points behind in the title race.The pressure is mounting on Emery, who needs a convincing win to silence critics following three mediocre performances, the most recent of which exposed tension with some players.Sundays 0-0 draw against Marseille also failed to give any assurances that Emerys side is ready to stamp its authority on a league it so easily dominated last season.The two games before that were equally underwhelming.PSGs 2-1 win at last-place Nancy was laborious while the 3-0 home win against FC Basel in the Champions League came with a huge slice of luck, as the modest Swiss side hit the post three times and squandered chances before PSGs first goal. On balance of play, it could easily have ended in a draw or worse.It is not what was expected of a new coach hired to replace Laurent Blanc, who was fired despite guiding the club to consecutive domestic trebles.Emery, who coached Sevilla to three straight Europa League titles, likes to impose a stringent work ethic on his teams.There are no favorites under Emery. He made that clear as soon as he arrived, saying he considered each player to have the same status, and underlined that point again against Marseille.First, he took off Marco Verratti after just 59 minutes, prompting a bewildered response from the highly-coveted Italy midfielder.Im bad? Is he saying Im bad? a pitch-side camera from Canal Plus television heard Verratti asking teammates as he walked to the PSG bench.Argentina winger Angel Di Maria, who had been jeered by the crowd, was the next to be hauled off with 15 minutes to go.Chasing a much-needed win, Emery made the strange and daring move of taking off two of his most creative players.Another key player, midfield dynamo Blaise Matuidi, was on the bench at the start. He was one of PSGs best players in the last three seasons under Blanc.Matuidi tried to leave before the season, but the club blocked his move to Italian champion Juventus with Emery insisting that he counted on him.Yet Matuidi, who has made more than 50 appearances for France, has started only half the league games so far.While Emerys methods gained unanimous approval at Sevilla, he did not work with many big names there.At star-studded PSG, his long training and video sessions are not to everyones liking.His choices, too, have caused confusion.When he left out winger Hatem Ben Arfa for several games -- despite signing him in the offseason -- some players publicly backed Ben Arfa.Last month, Matuidi, Brazilian left back Maxwell, club captain Thiago Silva and defensive midfielder Thiago Motta reportedly held a meeting with Emery to air their frustrations.Under Blancs stewardship, some exceptions were made for key players. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, for example, was occasionally allowed to go back home to his native Sweden on hunting trips, while Silva enjoyed tailor-made modifications to his training program.Players listen to you when you have won their respect, Emery said Saturday in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper. Right now, we havent reached that point. But it comes through hard work and results. Jake Kumerow Jersey . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Greg Jennings Jersey . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. https://www.packersjerseysale.com/624j-forrest-gregg-jersey-packers.html . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. Robert Tonyan Jersey . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. A. J. Hawk Jersey . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. In case you havent noticed, which is virtually impossible, Peyton Manning has gone to TV commercials full time.Adrian Peterson and J.J. Watt are injured. Aaron Rodgers is struggling. Todd Gurleys breakout rookie season looks like a mirage. Megatron is gone.Russell Wilson has been gimpy. Darrelle Revis has been mediocre. Tony Romo has been invisible.Too many of the NFLs headline grabbers arent in the news, or arent producing the kind of plays and drama football fans crave. With all the consternation about TV ratings for NFL games being down, with everything from the presidential election to the Colin Kaepernick-inspired anthem protests being blamed, maybe pro football is a bit star-crossed because it doesnt have a lot of its stars being, well, stars.NFL supporters like to say its the uniform and the tradition and history of teams that make the game such a slam-dunk attraction. The counter-argument is simply that with such national teams as the Raiders, Giants and Dolphins being non-contenders so often in recent years, why didnt viewership disappear then?No, its about the stars.Arguably the biggest luminary in Roger Goodells league is Tom Brady. He sat out the first four weeks thanks to Goodells suspension of the Patriots quarterback in the deflated footballs saga. Watching Brady take vengeance on the league office by way of New Englands opponents has been one of the few compelling plots thus far.Sure, there are others. The way Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott have taken hold in Dallas has been front-page worthy.There is no question that Dak and Zeke, there is no question theyre inspiring the rest of the team, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. This game is a lot about that.How about Lorenzo Alexanders career year in Buffalo after nine seasons as an NFL journeyman?I thought he could do a lot of roles for us, Bills coach Rex Ryan says. But I had no idea that he was still the same player, but he might be a better player. How it happens, Im not sure.I know one thing, its hard work and his dedication and all that. Hes an outstanding teammate, too. He serves all the credit.Great story, yes. SportsCenter material in this age of glitz and memes? Probably not.Its unfortunate that as the sports world has become a major part of the instant-gratification, 24/7/365 social media environment, what is happening with the big names is of primary interest.dddddddddddd Almost exclusively.So heading into a weekend of games, theres more focus on Ben Roethlisbergers rehab and LeSean McCoys potential absence than on the emergence of Vic Beasley Jr. as a sacks threat, or Dennis Pittas valiant return to the field.That way of thinking spreads to the guys with the headsets, too. Mike Zimmer isnt a star coach the way Ryan or Bill Belichick or Pete Carroll are. Had any of those three done the job Zimmer has without his starting quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater) and left tackle (Matt Kalil) and Hall of Fame-caliber runner (Peterson), hed be in line for a statue outside the stadium.Zimmer? Oh yeah, his Vikings are 5-1, the cognoscenti say, but their chatter is about Chip Kelly being 1-5.Anyone in the NFL -- well, maybe not some of the diva receivers -- will tell you how football is the most team-oriented sport. Unlike in hockey or soccer, where a goalie can steal wins, or in baseball, with a pitcher dominating hitters, football depends on three units working as much in tandem as possible. It relies on everyone doing his job on the field; a right fielder could be asleep, but if the pitcher strikes out the batter, so what. Try having the center not paying attention when the ball needs to be snapped. Or a safety charging in when two wideouts are running fly patterns.Yet, the NFL has become a star-driven league. Yes, most of those stars are quarterbacks, and when a Brady is suspended, a Manning is retired, the other Manning is floundering, it hurts the product. And the ratings.Nor does it help when players with star power such as Cam Newton, Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul and Joe Flacco struggle.The good news for the NFL is that new stars can develop as quickly as others fade. Goodell had better hope so, because the 2016 season could use a boost.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '