In the first of two parts, ESPN rates the performance of the back half of the grid so far this seasonToro Rosso6th, 45 points Toro Rosso has had a very impressive 2016 so far. China NFL Jerseys . Any evaluation of the first 12 races must be given with the proviso that it has been competing with a 2015-spec Ferrari engine -- one that cannot be upgraded throughout 2016. James Key once again appears to have designed a great car, one which has increased his standing in the paddock and kept the team consistently in and around the points since the beginning of the season.In truth, Toro Rosso has squandered several opportunities -- big points were on offer in Australia and the team did not capitalise -- and seems to struggle with its pit stops, costing Sainz a good result in Monaco. With most chassis development now shifted to 2017, Toro Rosso will hope its abject performance in Germany -- finishing 14th and 15th -- is not a sign of things to come as its rivals continue having the benefit of upgrades on the engine side.Carlos Sainz (11th, 30 points, 9/10): Undoubtedly one of the stars of the first half of the season. Its easy to dwell on Max Verstappens form since he was promoted to Red Bull, but Sainz is doing plenty to keep his former teammate and Daniel Ricciardo on their toes at the senior team. Its helped that Daniil Kvyats performances have been so bad in comparison, but Sainz has looked superb in a car with a year-old engine -- hes scored points in all but two of the ten races hes finished. An impressive sixth position in front of his home crowd in Spain was the crowning achievement at a race where Verstappen ended up stealing the headlines with his maiden victory.Daniil Kvyat (14th, 23 points, 4/10): Its hard not to feel sympathy for Kvyat at the mid-way point. The Russian driver looked like a broken man after qualifying in Germany and went into the summer break wondering how he can stop the rot. He has scored just two of his 23 points since being relegated to Toro Rosso, a move which was always going to hurt his form and his morale; he has since admitted the relegation made him fall out of love with F1. It must be noted Kvyat scored a super podium in China this year in what turned out to be his penultimate race for Red Bull, but it is the one bright spot on a season which has made for pretty excruciating viewing since. NSMcLaren7th, 42 points Although McLaren is still a long way from where it wants/ought to be, its progress this year still deserves recognition. The biggest performance gain has come from the Honda engine, which, despite being a long way off the pace, has more horsepower than the year-old Ferrari power unit in the Toro Rosso. When you consider Honda was a latecomer to the current engine regulations, the fact that it has surpassed Ferraris 2015 engine in its second year shows an impressive rate of improvement, even if it is still shy of the ultimate pace.A modest goal for the second half of the year will be beating Toro Rosso to sixth in the constructors championship, but it must not compromise work on the 2017 project in doing so. Updates to the MP4-31 have been coming thick and fast, and with the team boasting a 95 percent correlation between what it sees in the wind tunnel and what it sees on track, things are looking up. In what is essentially the third year of the current regulations, McLaren has done well to make the progress it has achieved from such a low starting point, but the key will be taking advantage of the regulation changes in 2017 to make a significantly bigger step next year.Fernando Alonso (13th, 24 points, 8/10): By his own admission, Alonso was underperforming last year. The lack of a competitive car made it hard for the two-time world champion to stay motivated, and it showed. This year, however, the improvements made by McLaren have sparked the fire deep inside and he has been able to show glimpses of his latent talent we know exists. Strong races in Russia, Monaco and Hungary have been the highlights, as well as five appearances in Q3. Given a competitive car, there is little doubt he would be back at the sharp end of the grid.Jenson Button (15th, 17 points, 6/10): McLarens lack of performance makes it hard to accurately rate Buttons season, but his 8-3 deficit in qualifying to Alonso hints at the struggle he has faced. It is now commonplace to hear Button complaining about one aspect or another of the MP4-31s performance during sessions and while reliability has let him down on occasion, he has also failed to get the best from his car too often. With it looking increasingly likely that he will be replaced by Stoffel Vandoorne next year, it would be understandable if motivation levels in his seventh year at McLaren are starting to run low. LEHaas8th, 28 points When assessing Haas first 12 races it is important to note the team started from (almost) nothing this year. Sure, it came in with a very controversial Ferrari tie-up, but as an operational unit the team was clearly in its infancy over winter testing. It capitalised brilliantly on the uncertainty of the first couple of races to finish sixth and fifth in Australia and Bahrain, before normality set in for F1s newest team. Since that brilliant start the team has struggled with various things, front wing failures, tyre pressures and balance under braking.Haas was always going to hit trouble in is maiden season so it deserves the benefit of the doubt. Though weve heard Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez vocally frustrated with the handling of the car this season it has remained competitive, remarkably so in fact for a fledgling team. At the start of the season Haas played down expectations and said it wanted to be in the lower midfield by the middle of the season. Big improvements can be made but Haas is already on course for a memorable debut season.Romain Grosjean (12th, 28 points, 8/10): Currently, Grosjeans move from Lotus to Haas looks pretty inspired. The Frenchman drove to a stunning sixth position on Haas debut in Australia and backed that up with fifth in Bahrain. After another points finish in Russia, the inevitable decline came but when the car has been in a position to score points, Grosjean has delivered, returning to the top ten in Austria. Its little wonder Grosjean is so highly regarded by Haas -- he may have missed out on a Ferrari drive for 2017 but on current form he deserves to be in the mix for the seat in 2018.Esteban Gutierrez (19th, 0 points, 5/10): Gutierrezs season makes for dire reading when compared to his teammate, who has struggled with the car at times but also registered four points scoring finishes. By contrast, Gutierrez has been the king of 11th, finishing there on four occasions, having squandered several opportunities for a top-ten finish. Hes had several thinly-veiled outbursts aimed at his team and its fair to say a series of issues outside of his control have contributed to his lack of points. He was unfortunate to be hit by Fernando Alonso in Australia, but on the whole the very likeable Mexican is not doing enough to warrant another year in F1. NSRenault9th, 6 points The challenge facing Renault this year was, arguably, larger than any other teams. The once formidable Enstone team had been left to rot by its previous owners, with several key engineers jumping ship in the fear they could end up going down with it. That the French manufacturer stepped in to save the day was not only a crucial moment for the team itself but also for the sport -- the thought of losing one of the biggest advocates of the new engine formula just two years after its introduction would have been a damning indictment of the V6 turbo era.Unfortunately, the decision by Renault to invest in a factory team came too late to salvage any hopes of being competitive this year. A skeleton of a team not only had to rebuild for the future, but it also had to cobble together an F1 car from the remaining spares of an already under-developed 2015 Lotus. Whats more, one of the biggest strengths of last years car was its Mercedes power unit and that had to be replaced by the improving, but still under-powered, Renault. Its no surprise, therefore, that Renault has scored just once this year and has found itself fighting with Manor and Sauber to remain off the back of the grid. Theres no reason to expect the cars performance will improve in the second half of the year, with resources dedicated to a significant step forwards in 2017.Kevin Magnussen (16th, 6 points, 7/10): Magnussens career was thrown a life line when Renault offered him a race drive this year, but using it to prove his true potential has been tough. The very nature of Formula One means a driver who maximises the potential of his car at the back of the grid may get completely overlooked if the bad luck of others does not allow passage into the top ten. At the start of the season, Magnussen impressed with a near perfect drive to 11th in Bahrain and that crucial points-scoring result in Russia -- which should ensure the team finishes ninth in the standings. He may feel he has matched those performances at the races since, but the anonymity that comes with racing at the back of the grid means they have been increasingly harder to spot. Whats more, his rookie teammate appears to have found his feet at recent rounds, with Palmer closing the gap between the two in head-to-head qualifying to 7-5 in Magnussens favour.Jolyon Palmer (20th, 0 points, 5/10): Palmer has faced the same problem of trying to perform in the anonymity of the back of the grid as his teammate, but Palmers standing has strengthened as the season has progressed. His low point was crashing out of the Monaco Grand Prix as it got underway after a safety car start, but such mistakes are not uncommon for a rookie. Unfortunately, his most impressive performance to date was also marred by a spin as he dropped out of contention for his first Formula One point on lap 47 of the Hungarian Grand Prix. On the plus side, there is no reason to believe he wont find himself in a similar position before the end of the year as his performances have undoubtedly improved, but he will have to do something very special to fend off the mounting competition for his place on the grid at Renault next year. LEManor10th, 1 point Slow and steady has been the phrase of 2016 for Manor. Its Mercedes engine deal led to lofty expectations before the season began but the team, wisely, played those down, saying it still had a long way to go before it was close to the midfield. That caution was justified, as Manor started the season slowly, bolstered by some strong drives from Mercedes protégé Pascal Wehrlein. It has slowly clawed away at the gap to Sauber and overtaken the Swiss team, returning to points in Austria this year.The team has been restructured, with the arrival of Dave Ryan clearly paying dividends. Manor has spent its limited budget incredibly wisely. For a team which has been a perennial backmarker for its tenure in F1, the recent progress has been hugely encouraging and there is no reason to think Manor cannot continue building on that development. It will be bolstered after the summer break by another Mercedes junior, Esteban Ocon, as it continues to take the fight to Sauber and Renault at the back of the field.Pascal Wehrlein (17th, 1 point, 8/10): The Mercedes junior has been impressive in his rookie F1 season, the highlight of which was undoubtedly a points finish in Austria. He did not dominate Rio Haryanto as many expected him to in qualifying, but on Sundays there was no comparison - Wehrlein never finished behind the Indonesian in their 12 races together. Considering you can only truly compare backmarkers against their teammates, and the fact Wehrlein has never raced on most of the circuits hes visited this season, he stands out as one of the more impressive drivers of the first half of 2016.Rio Haryanto (23rd, 0 points, 4/10): For all of the credit Rio Haryanto deserves for keeping his qualifying record against Wehrlein close, he has been unfortunate to have been placed alongside a driver backed by Mercedes for his rookie season. The comparison on Sundays was always one-sided, form not helped by Haryantos image as a driver who paid for his seat on the grid. He will be missed by Indonesian fans but Manor will be better off with the talented Esteban Ocon alongside Wehrlein for the rest of the year. NSSauber11th, 0 points Saubers main aim this year has been survival and after finding new investment it appears as though it has fulfilled its goal. It is unlikely the new money will salvage anything from this year, but it should ensure the team remains on the grid under next years regulation change. There is plenty of restructuring to do, however, after technical director Mark Smith left the team before the first race of the season.Without some significant misfortune for several other teams, points will remain off the agenda this year, which could see the team finish at the bottom of the constructors championship for the first time in its 24-year history. The key will be to use the still-impressive facilities at its Swiss base in Hinwil to mount a bid to return to the midfield next year.Marcus Ericsson (21st, 0 points, 5/10): Now in his third season in Formula One, we are still waiting to see Ericsson do something that truly impresses. Being at the back of the grid has not helped his cause, especially this year, but he has yet to deliver a performance that exceeds the limitations of his machinery. Having said that, Ericsson started the year with a series of solid results, outperforming his teammate comfortably as Felipe Nasr complained of a chassis problem. But big accidents on Saturdays at Silverstone and Hungary have blotted his copybook at recent rounds and are inexcusable at a team struggling to put a car on the grid in the first place. His future beyond the end of the year appears to be secure thanks to his links to Saubers new backers and maybe a revitalised Sauber in 2017 will finally offer him a platform to perform.Felipe Nasr (22nd, 0 points, 5/10): Like his teammate, Nasr is a hard driver to rate. He started the season with a lack of confidence in the car and only a new chassis at the Russian Grand Prix could remedy his concerns. Since then he has come onto level terms with teammate Ericsson, but an unfortunate incident at Monaco where he collided with his teammate after being told to move over for him did nothing to help the tensions building between the Brazilian and his team. He needs a strong performance or two before the end of the year to shed his pay-driver tag, but If you were to put money on either of the Sauber drivers sneaking a point before the end of the year, it would surely be Nasr. Cheap China Jerseys . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. Wholesale China Jerseys .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. http://www.chinajerseys.pro/ . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Topics this week include the Browns next steps at quarterback, rookie signal-caller?Carson Wentzs sensational debut -- and what could have been -- plus, the connection Texans coach Bill OBrien had to his first-round pick.Browns forced to change QB plans -- againFor now, the best guess on the time?Robert Griffin III will miss is 10-12 weeks, per sources. With Griffin sidelined with a shoulder injury, Josh McCown becomes the starter, and rookie third-round pick Cody Kessler becomes the backup. But there are more questions there, as is usually the case at quarterback in Cleveland.Browns sources say Kessler is not close to?being ready to play -- which doesnt mean he wont -- but expectations for him arent particularly high. Yet there are those in the Browns building who think Griffins injury could turn out to be a good thing for the franchise, because coach Hue Jackson was so focused on righting Griffin. The team now can move on and do what it needs.Where the Browns?go and what they do next are significant issues. Their recent track record at quarterback is not overly favorable. The quarterbacks the Browns loved in the offseason?were Jared Goff, Kessler and Griffin, per team sources. The quarterbacks they didnt care for were Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott, per the same sources. Those same men who?appear to have missed last offseason will be in charge of finding Clevelands next quarterback, whoever that is, this offseason. They need to find Clevelands quarterback of the future, which is tied to the other issue.Since rejoining the NFL in 1999, the Browns have had 25 starting quarterbacks, the most in the NFL. At the rate this is going, Kessler is likely to be the 26th, practice squad quarterback Kevin Hogan could be the 27th ... and either Deshaun Watson or DeShone Kizer, two of college footballs top QBs, could be the 28th.--?Adam SchefterIts early, but Carson Wentz has traits to succeedTo be fair, it will take more than one game and probably more than a year to determine whether the Cleveland Browns blew it by not giving more consideration to draft Carson Wentz with the No. 2 overall pick.Nevertheless, before the Browns traded that pick to the Eagles, there were some NFL evaluators who agreed that Wentz fit the mold of an AFC North quarterback.At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, Wentz has the prototype size of QBs such as the Steelers Ben Roethlisberger, the Ravens Joe Flacco and former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. Current Bengals QB Andy Dalton, though not as?big as those three quarterbacks, does not have a frail frame.The dome-free AFC North is portrayed as the NFLs real black-and-blue division because of its physical DNA. One personnel man opined that the quarterbacks in the division will not go physically unscathed but argued that their stature allows them to recover from injuries. In fact, every one of the aforementioned quarterbacks -- Roethlisberger, Flacco, Palmer and Dalton -- have missed games because of injuries.Wentz also is not immune to injury. Last October, he broke his wrist. The injury required surgery, but he came back to lead North Dakota State to an FCS national title. He also fractured ribs last month in his first preseason game,?but the Eagles deemed him ready to open the season as the starter when Sam Bradford was traded to the Vikings. They see him as a physically and mentally resilient quarterback but still emphasize that he needs to get the ball out of his hands quickly, because the pounding takes its toll.More than one personnel man also suggested Wentzs hand size (10 inches) projected well in a division that often plays in inclement weather later in the season (the NFC East would also qualify).Then is it a worthy counterpoint to note that Wentz played his college home games indoors at the Fargodome at North Dakota State? That did not bother one general manager, who pointed out that the Green Bay Packers largely practice indoors when the weather turns frosty, yet have a decided home-field advantage outdoors at Lambeau Field. The GM said Wentz being acclimated to?that?climate all his life was a more favorable factor.Its nothing more than a snapshot, but it was a snapshot taken by some evaluators before the 2016 draft.-- Chris MortensenBill OBrien commits to former commitmentAs the 2016 NFL draft approached, most expected Texans coach Bill OBrien to make a major push for one of his former Penn State recruits. And he did.Only it wasnt Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg, but rather Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller.When Fuller was starring at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, his first scholarship offer came from none other than OBrien and Penn State. Fuller verbally committed to OBrien and Penn State. But when the Jerry Sandusky sanctions were handed down, he opened his recruiting again and opted for Notre Dame.When OBrien had another chance to land Fuller last spring, he and the Texans traded up one slot in the first round to draft the wide receiver who?escaped Penn State.Sure enough, Fuller reeled in five catches for 107 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. When OBrien was asked about how Fuller was able to bounce back with a strong game after dropping the first pass thrown in his direction, he knew why, perhaps better than anyone.The one thing I know about Will, having known him for a while, hes a very resilient guy, OBrien said. He grew up in a great family, hard-working parents. Im sure they taught him about, Look, sometimes youre going to get knocked down. You have to be able to pick yourself back up. Thats something he does well.OBrien knows Fuller, trusts Fuller and believes in Fuller. Now, with Houston heading into Week 2 matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, he has already been rewarded by him, too.-- Adam SchefterHammerhead?shows why fullbacks matterWhen Denver Broncos rookie fullback Andy Janovich broke loose for a 28-yard touchdown run in the season-opening win over the Panthers, the NFLs first rushing score of the 2016 season, former Cowboys great Daryl Moose Johnston noted that when he glanced at his Twitter account there were three mentions that he says were almost identical: Somewhere, Moose Johnston is smiling. Jerseys From China. ohnston was indeed smiling. He believes the fullback position, which was on a path toward NFL extinction, still has a future.Were seeing defenses, especially teams like the Arizona Cardinals, that are loading up the back eight essentially using a safety as that extra linebacker, and it gives an offense an opportunity for a fullback like Janovich to create some favorable matchups in blocking, said Johnston, who studies the game when prepping for his Fox Sports broadcast assignments. The big thing, though, is you have to find that guy who is not just a thumper, but one who can be versatile in formations, on a free release where he can recognize coverages and be a viable receiver down in that red zone, where points are a premium. Janovich appears to have that type of ability.A sixth-round draft pick, Janovich was a walk-on at Nebraska who earned a scholarship and became known as Hammerhead when he was the often the lead blocker for Ameer Abdullah, who had three 1,000-yard rushing seasons before being drafted by the Lions in 2015. Janovich also was a special teams standout, a must if a fullback is going to land a job in the NFL. His Hammerhead moniker has stuck with the Broncos. Janovich was on the field for almost half the offensive snaps in the opener against the Panthers.-- Chris MortensenGrowing branches from Patriots-Colts rivalryThe rivalry between New England and Indianapolis has been so good that it has had a lasting impact on four teams this weekend not named the Patriots or the Colts.The general managers of the Titans and the Lions, who play each other Sunday, are Bill Belichick disciples. Tennessee GM Jon Robinson spent 12 years in New England (2002-2013), during which time he worked with Bob Quinn, who was with the Patriots from 2000-2015 and is now Detroits GM. The Patriot Ways already have come into play in Tennessee and Detroit, with Robinson and Quinns own influence on their respective rosters.The general managers of the Jaguars and the Chargers, who play each other Sunday, are Bill Polian disciples. Jacksonville GM Dave Caldwell spent 10 years with the Colts (1998-2007), during which time he worked with Tom Telesco, who was with the Colts from 1998-2012 and is now San Diegos GM. The Colts Ways already have come into play in Jacksonville and San Diego, with Caldwell and Telescos own influence on their respective rosters.So even in the NFL, trees grow branches. The tree that was the home of the NFLs best rivalry this century, Patriots vs. Colts, produced branches that now will be tangled Sunday.-- Adam SchefterEmptying out the notebookBrowns veteran QB Josh McCown, who takes over the starting job for injured Robert Griffin III, had a reasonable protest about the notion the Browns should tank for the No. 1 pick in 2017. McCown mentioned the need to respect veterans on the team such as tackle Joe Thomas. Thats not lip service to Thomas, who declined to push the front office for a trade to the Broncos last October when it was in discussion. The same sources say Thomas then privately cited the loyalty to other veterans in the Browns locker room and the organization that made him the third overall pick in 2006.The most surprising statistic about Spencer Wares opening game for the Chiefs was?his seven catches for 129 yards. He had just?six catches for 5 yards in 2015. Hes got good hands, Chiefs general manager?John Dorsey said. He was a pretty good baseball player in high school, good enough to play baseball at LSU his freshman year. You cant be a good baseball player and have bad hands.When the Ravens passed on overpaying pending free-agent receiver Torrey Smith in 2015, they knew they were subtracting a player who played to one of quarterback Joe Flaccos strengths -- deep-ball accuracy. Thats one reason they drafted Breshad Perriman (4.25 in the 40-yard dash)?last year, but Perriman missed his rookie season with an injury. Then GM Ozzie Newsome got insurance with Mike Wallace (4.33 in the 40) this offseason. Big plays from Flacco to Wallace (66-yard TD) and to Perriman (35 yards to help set up a field goal) were moments the Ravens needed to beat the Bills 13-7 in their opener.Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells has never been a proponent of paying cornerbacks huge bucks, though he acknowledges the cost of doing business is going up. Parcells, however, is a proponent of loading up on defensive backs. I tell my guys still coaching that you need more than four or five cornerbacks. You better have seven of those guys in todays game.The Patriots play the Dolphins on Sunday, one of three consecutive home games before Tom Brady returns from suspension. A breeze after a tough road win at Arizona? Maybe not. The Seahawks believe the Dolphins defense will be a challenge for any opponent after a narrow 12-10 home-opening win over Miami. Theyre pretty darn good, Seahawks GM John Schneider said. Theyre deep, especially on the defensive line. ... Theyve got talented guys positionally playing where they should play.Titans coach Mike Mularkey this weekend will indirectly face his son, Patrick Mularkey, who is the Lions pro scouting coordinator. Its pretty neat, Mike Mularkey said. I actually asked him yesterday -- it never really dawned on me -- who my wife and his mom is rooting for to win this game. I havent asked her yet, but its special, because Im proud of him. Very proud of the job hes done. I love that hes in this business, because I think hes really good at what he does. Regardless, I think theres a win in this somehow, in the outcome of this game. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '