m from relegation and in Defoe they see a

DENVER -- Champ Bailey spent a decade with the Denver Broncos, making eight Pro Bowls and picking off 34 passes even with quarterbacks only reluctantly glancing his way. This number was hard to overlook: $10 million. In a cost-cutting move Thursday, the Broncos released Bailey, the teams defensive leader whos been a fan favourite since he was acquired in a trade with Washington in 2004. Theres simply no room for loyalty in the NFL, especially with free agency about to start and with holes needing to be filled, something that became apparent to the Broncos after a 43-8 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl last month. Broncos boss John Elway called the decision to release Bailey a "difficult" one given all that the perennial Pro Bowl cornerback has brought to the team over his 10 seasons in the Mile High City. "Without question, hes among the best cornerbacks to ever play the game and one of the finest players in the history of the Broncos," Elway said in a statement. "You couldnt ask for more in a player than what Champ brought to this team. His combination of elite talent, class, leadership and competitiveness made him one of the all-time greats." But age and injuries had begun to catch up with one of the best shutdown cornerbacks to play the game. Bailey, a 12-time Pro Bowler overall, is scheduled to make around $10 million next season, which is a lot of money for a cornerback who may be asked to switch to safety or possibly inside to the slot position. This was a hard season for the 35-year-old Bailey as he missed 11 games because of a nagging left foot sprain originally suffered in the preseason on Aug. 17 in Seattle. Only later did Bailey reveal he sustained a Lisfranc injury. He returned late in the season to help the Broncos advance to the Super Bowl, but wasnt back to his old form -- the form that had QBs scanning everywhere but his direction. In his prime, Bailey wasnt always very busy because opponents simply picked on his counterpart. And yet he still has 52 career interceptions, the most among active cornerbacks. "I consider it a privilege to have coached Champ these last three years," Broncos coach John Fox said. "Theres no doubt he played an integral role in establishing a culture of winning here. "Aside from his natural ability, Champ set a great example with his hard work and relentless commitment to mastering his craft." The 15-year veteran mentored many teammates, teaching them the tricks of the cornerback trade. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, an impending free agent, once said he used to study film of Bailey simply because, "If youre a cornerback, you have to be a fan of Champ Bailey. Anytime a guy does that for a period of time he did it, 14 or 15 years, youve got to watch him." Rodgers-Cromartie and Bailey were supposed to be a lockdown tandem in 2013. Until Bailey got hurt. So in stepped Chris Harris Jr., an undrafted player out of Kansas who soaked up all of Baileys suggestions as he waited his turn. Once he got on the field, Harris became almost a copy of Bailey -- or as much as anyone can be. Harris blew out a knee against San Diego in the divisional round, leading to Baileys return to his usual spot at left corner. On his Twitter account, Harris thanked Bailey for his help, saying he was blessed to be able to "lineup opposite Champ and learn from a Great." Harris wasnt alone in his praise, with linebacker Danny Trevathan posting on Twitter: "Champ. You taught me a lot!" Although quarterbacks didnt always pick on him, Bailey still found a way to get involved. He prided himself on his tackling and frequently crept up to the line of scrimmage to help out. In 215 regular-season games, Bailey has 983 tackles, three sacks, nine forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. His best statistical season was 2006, when he had a career-high 10 interceptions and finished as runner-up for The Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year. About the only thing that eluded Bailey in his time with Denver was that Super Bowl ring. But Elway said there is a "ring" in Baileys future because Elway said hes going to have a place in the teams Ring of Fame once his career is finished. Maybe down the road there will be a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, too, which would make him the first Denver defensive player to be enshrined. "On behalf of everyone with the Broncos, I wish Champ all the best and thank him for everything he did for this franchise," Elway said. "Champ will always be a Bronco." Jarrod Dyson Jersey . Tyrell appeared in seven games with the Lightning this year, he had no points in those appearances. The 24-year-old has seven goals and 17 assists in 132 career NHL games, all coming with the Lightning. He was selected in the second round, 47th overall, of the 2007 draft. Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys . Messier, who had been a special assistant to Rangers general manager Glen Sather, announced Thursday in a statement that he is resigning in order to "expand the game of hockey in the New York area by developing the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. http://www.diamondbacksteamshop.com/Diam...ke-Kids-Jersey/. Jannero Pargo scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help the Charlotte Bobcats erase a 21-point deficit and rally for an 83-76 preseason victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Luis Gonzalez Jersey .C. -- Kevin Harvick won his first career pole at Darlington Raceway on Friday as he looks to chase his first Southern 500. Ketel Marte Jersey .C., has been named Canadas top female official, winning the 2014 SOC Award of Excellence. Cranes career as a figure skating judge has spanned over 40 years.Two shadows grew large around him. One came with a great following, making people feel good about their team and their city. The other helped bring big names to the club, occupying a position that had been vacated far too often in years past. Each spoke a lot about the clubs direction and it was easy to think they were the men in charge of rescuing a moribund franchise. Yet in the background sat Tim Bezbatchenko, observing everything. As the season wore on the whispers in the halls of BMO Field grew louder and louder. Just who was in charge of this club? Tim Leiweke had done his job. The outgoing President & CEO of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment had treated Toronto FC the same way as the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was the conductor of an orchestra that had never been heard in Toronto the moment he preached why cant we be great? on the day the club introduced Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley. And then there was Ryan Nelsen. It appeared the head coach, for this year anyway, was playing with house money, given a team that surely couldnt fail on its promise of making the playoffs for the first time. He had been given players past club coaches would have dreamed to work with, but with that came higher expectations. None more so than inside the dressing room. "Michael will keep me on my toes," said Nelsen about the American midfielder when he joined from Roma. How true it was. Sure, as he reminded us in his final press conference on Saturday, Nelsen had a fine playing career but in his first ever head coaching job he now had to prove to senior members of the team that he could make them collectively better. It proved to be a hurdle too high for Nelsen and the assistants he chose to surround himself with. Bezbatchenko and new coach Greg Vanney regularly used words like tempo and speed when wanting to improve the team and it was clear that Nelsens side werent able to dictate games, despite the talent he had available, instead resorting to sitting deeper and morphing themselves into a counter-attacking side, even at home. At the beginning of July when Toronto hosted DC United, Nelsen decided to go away from his rigid 4-4-2. Back from the World Cup, Bradley went into the side, in a midfield three, and for the first 45 minutes both sides played a highly entertaining, advanced, technical style, matching up in midfield in a half that was a superb advertisement for how far the league has come. Then at the start of the second half Nelsen removed Bradley Orr from midfield, went back to 4-4-2, allowed DC to run the game in midfield and go on and win it 2-1. More whispers. Three wins from their next eight, heading into Saturdays game against New England, and it became clear wed soon find out who was in charge. On Friday, Tim Bezbatchenko stepped out of the shadows by publicly demanding more from the team. If he wanted to set Nelsen up he had done it perfectly. Post match on Saturday, after a dismal performance against New England at home, the coach fired back but by then he was already out of a job. As Nelsen told the press about his playing resume, Bezbatchenko had seen enough and was behind closed doors putting the plan in place that culminated with the Kiwi being notified Sunday morning of his departure. And yet still no news broke until an official press release was emailed to the media after noon. By then the players were in a team meeting being told of what had happened. In past eras of this young club such a story would have been leaked the moment Saturdays game was over. That is a credit to Bezbatchenko and the staff remaining at the club. The 32-year-old could do nothing, however, about the leaks swirling around Jermain Defoe. Nevertheless the timing of Nelsens firing allowed him to be in control and at the forefront of the story. It also, for a crucial 24-hoour period, led many to assume Defoe was unhappy because of the sacking of his former Tottenham teammate.dddddddddddd That, as revealed by Bezbatchenko in a conference call on Monday, was not the truth. "We have a committed player. He was frustrated with the course of our team, no doubt. That was one of the reasons we made the (Nelsen) change," confirmed the GM about the English striker. Defoes commitment to the club remains a large question. He is in England at the moment and according to Tony Fernandes and Harry Redknapp, owner and manager of QPR, wants to come home. Bezbatchenko hinted as much in Sundays press conference. He said: "If you are not 100% committed to what we are doing, then we need to sit down and talk and that goes for everyone." The transfer window closed on Monday with Defoe as a Toronto FC player. For now. Bezbatchenko confirmed he is recovering from symptoms of a sports hernia and a decision in the next couple of weeks will have to be made if he needs surgery, which will likely keep him out of the majority of the regular season. It is the third time this season that Defoe has missed extensive time through injury. This winter he will be a 32-year-old injury prone forward. A player, when fit, who is dynamic and a true difference maker at this level. That is something the club can accept if he wants to still play for them. A 32-year-old injury prone unhappy striker, however, is a completely different situation. "You cant let history dictate what the appropriate decision is to make." Those were Bezbatchenkos carefully selected words in response to why now was the time Nelsen had to leave as head coach. Vanney becomes the ninth full time boss in nine years. They could also ring true with the Defoe situation. It is easy to blame the club for Defoes lack of commitment, based on their history, but this is an Englishman who is still wanted by multiple Premier League clubs. I know personally how difficult it can be to adapt to a new country and Defoe will not be the first man from the United Kingdom to commit to living in Canada, only to go home within a year. Defoe is a Londoner, who loves football and left behind his mates to start a new adventure when he wasnt playing in the Premier League. The Premier League, fresh with even more cash than it has ever had before, is calling again. Defoe, back home with his beloved Sky Sports on television, will have seen a striker like Shane Long go for 12 million pounds and wonder about himself. Premier League clubs are searching the globe for a striker who can score 12-15 per season and keep them from relegation and in Defoe they see a proven commodity at that level, not a gamble from elsewhere. A record bid for his services means he can go back to England and get more money than he got when he was at Tottenham so his head is bound to turn even if he was happy in North America. That is not what Toronto FC fans want to hear but it is reality and it is hard to imagine Defoe not wanting this no matter what MLS club he played for. Bezbatchenko eventually turned down the offer from QPR but he knows they will be back. QPR, or another Premier League club, will be just as desperate for Defoe in January, when TFC will have more time to use the money to improve their squad. Now was not the time to sell their talisman, injured or not. Just imagine whose job would be on the line if he had allowed Defoe to leave today and the club go on to miss the playoffs. Far too many false dawns have descended on this club and winds of caution are once again blowing around BMO Field as another new era sets on Toronto FC but given the cards he was dealt it is easy to be impressed with Bezbatchenkos work over the last four days. He was not dealt easy cards but he has played them very well in his first true test at the top table. 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