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SALT LAKE CITY -- Joe Johnson had options of where to chase a ring in the twilight of his career and the seven-time All-Star chose to sign a two-year deal with a Utah Jazz team that hasnt reached the playoffs since 2012. Jake Butt Jersey .Johnson, 35, bought into the widespread belief that the Jazz will improve from young up-and-comers to a competitive playoff team.It was the talent level and knowing from talking to (coach) Quin (Snyder), they wanted some veteran guys around these young guys and help lead the way, Johnson said. That was probably the biggest part.Thats the story on the Jazz entering the 2016-17 season: a team no longer on the cusp, but one with postseason expectations.Snyder and general manager Dennis Lindsey have tried to temper those expectations, but the offseason moves to add veterans spoke volumes. The Jazz traded for George Hill and Boris Diaw and signed Johnson -- ending the slow rebuild. The league, however, wont see what this roster looks like at full strength for some time.Gordon Hayward is out for an unknown amount of time with a broken finger on his non-shooting hand. Derrick Favors played just one preseason game due to a knee issue. Key reserve Alec Burks still hasnt returned from arthroscopic surgery to his knee and ankle in June.So the Jazz didnt get to fully integrate the new veterans with the established players during the preseason.I feel like weve got a lot done in spite of (injuries), Snyder said. (Diaw, Hill and Johnson) have probably played more preseason minutes than I intended. ... It has given them a chance to get acclimated. Their roles, particularly Joes, will probably change and evolve when Gordon comes back. Outside of that, theres challenges. You just dont know. Certain players, certain lineups. ... I dont think we were able to build quite the connectivity that wed like at this point. But I felt like this was a team that was going to take a while to develop, too. Hopefully it doesnt set us back too much.The Jazz begin the season on the road against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday. Eight of their first 11 games are on the road.Things to watch as the Jazz prepare to tip off the season:STIFLING TOWER: The 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert has already established himself as one of the best defensive centers in the game, averaging 2.27 blocks over the last two seasons, but hes shown off a little more offense this preseason. He seemed to catch and finish better than in the past and averaged 14.8 points in six games. The most notable improvement has been Goberts free throw shooting. He shot 56.9 percent last year and 74.5 percent this preseason.RETURN OF EXUM: Dante Exum is back for regular season games for the first time since tearing his ACL in the summer of 2015. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft is fully healthy and still an upper echelon defender on the perimeter with his 6-foot-6 frame. He looks to become more active on the offensive end with a better floater in the lane and improved 3-point shooting. The point guard showed the ability to log minutes at shooting guard next to Hill during the preseason.GROWTH AREAS: The Jazz hope the additions and another year of growth will affect three areas in particular. The Jazz were No. 28 in the league with a scoring average of 97.7 points per game. That must improve. Johnson, Hill and Diaw already improve the depth. The team also struggled in close games, finishing 14-28 in games that were within five points with five minutes or less left.IMPRESSION TIME: Not making the playoffs could not only be disappointing, but a detriment to the future. Hayward has a player-option on his contract after this season and is expected to use it to become a free agent. There will be a large market for his services, so the Jazz need to prove theyre an organization that can compete for championships in the near future. Gobert will become a restricted free agent in July if he doesnt sign an extension by Oct. 31. Favors is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2017-18 season.---Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter: www.twitter.com/KareemCopeland Brendan Langley Youth Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Demarcus Walker Youth Jersey . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. http:///...broncos-jersey-c-65/ .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. DENVER -- The start of a new season rekindled some old -- and troubling -- issues for the NFL.Nobody could attest to that better than Cam Newton.The Carolina Panthers quarterback was victimized by helmet-to-helmet hits at least three times in a 21-20 loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. Net result of those hits: Zero penalty yards.The Super Bowl rematch was every bit as good as promised -- it came down to a last-second field goal attempt -- but it was a brutal affair that put Newton, Broncos receiver Jordan Norwood and linebacker Brandon Marshall in evaluation for concussions. None were held out.Its not fun getting hit in the head, said Newton, who threw for 194 yards, one interception and a touchdown. But we didnt lose the game off that.At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Newton absorbs more punishment than the typical QB, in part because he runs the ball a fair amount. He took three sacks, eight more hits while trying to throw and also took some thumps after his 11 rushing attempts.Two of the most vicious hits had a direct impact on the game. The first came early in the third quarter, when DeMarcus Ware pulled Newton down and Von Miller hit him, facemask-to-facemask. No flag was thrown, but Newton was doubled over in pain after that drive. He went 7 for 15 the rest of the game after starting 11 for 18 and leading the Panthers to a 17-7 halftime lead.With under 40 seconds left, Broncos safety Darian Stewart went helmet-to-helmet with Newton. A flag was thrown but it was nullified because officials also called Newton for intentional grounding.Still dont understand how thats possible to get intentional grounding when you get personal fouled, tight end Greg Olsen said. Weve just got to treat Cam like a quarterback. I know hes the biggest guy on the field, but hes still a quarterback.Had that roughing call stood, Carolina wouldve had the ball in field goal range with a few more plays to move closer. Instead, Graham Gano had a 50-yarder to win that he pushed wide left.Newton took the high road about the hits. Coach Ron Rivera said hed wait to see the replays.Certainly, theyll be watching them in the NFL offices, as well. For a league concerned about head hits and concussions, thiis was a violent start to the season. Garett Bolles Womens Jersey. .Other things we learned as the Broncos rallied to beat the Panthers:SIEMIAN CAN PLAY: The Broncos were the first defending champion to come into the following season with a starting quarterback who hadnt thrown an NFL pass. Now, Trevor Siemian has thrown 26, and he has his first win to show for it. Siemian was far from perfect -- he threw a pair of interceptions and his 69.1 passer rating wont remind anyone of Peyton Manning in his prime. Then again, Manning wasnt in his prime when the Broncos won the Super Bowl last season. We played in a lot of big games last year against a lot of great teams, so I tried to simulate that feeling as much as I could, Siemian said. But no doubt, its different when you get out there.RETURN OF THE FULLBACK: Turns out, the fullback position didnt go into complete extinction in the NFL. Its actually alive in Broncos coach Gary Kubiaks offense. Rookie Andy Janovich took a shallow handoff, went around the right end and sprinted 28 yards for a score in the second quarter.ROOKIE RISK: Punter Britton Colquitt was arguably the second-most valuable player for Denver in the Super Bowl, limiting the Panthers to 2 yards on three returns and twice pinning them inside their 20. But he wouldnt take a pay cut, so GM John Elway released him in favor of rookie Riley Dixon. The seventh-rounder from Syracuse had a 42-yard punt in the closing minutes, allowing Carolina it start its final drive on the Panthers 40-yard line.RETURN OF BENJAMIN: The Panthers had one of their top threats back after receiver Kelvin Benjamin missed all last season with a torn ACL. He got involved early with a 14-yard TD catch from Newton. He finished with six catches for 91 yards.CAROLINA BLUE: The Panthers are 17-1 against the rest of the world since the start of last season and 0-2 against the Broncos. Start thinking about the next one, said Rivera, whose team plays San Francisco on Sept. 18. There are still 15 games left to play.---AP National Writer Eddie Pells and AP Sports Writer Arnie Stapleton contributed. 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 ' ' '