An die SV » the top pairing of Carl Gunnarsson and Dion Phan

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The day began with another round of questions about the relationship between Jim Harbaugh and his players. It ended with him putting a lot of trust in them to make a big play.And just as Harbaughs teams usually do, the San Francisco 49ers delivered.The 49ers converted a gutsy fake punt from deep in their territory and leaned on five field goals from Phil Dawson to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 22-17 on Sunday, quieting the drama around Harbaughs future for at least one more week.The football team has done good. And the better you do and the more you do, the more people try to trip you up, Harbaugh said. Later, he added: My destiny lies between these walls with these men.Reports have appeared since the off-season that players arent particularly happy with Harbaugh, and the latest caused 49ers CEO and acting owner Jed York to speak out.About three hours before kickoff, York posted on Twitter: Jim is my coach. We are trying to win a SB (Super Bowl), not a personality or popularity contest. Any more questions?Harbaugh and his players helped answer some of them with a critical call late, spoiling the return of former franchise quarterback Alex Smith in the process.The 49ers (3-2) turned to a trick play on fourth-and-1 from their 29 early in the fourth quarter, giving a direct snap to Craig Dahl for a 3-yard run up the middle. Colin Kaepernick directed the offence downfield, and Dawson kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8:42 to play for the go-ahead score.It doesnt matter where theyre called on the field. You just have to execute, Dahl said. See the ball, catch it, tuck it away and go.Dawson also connected from 55, 52, 35 and 30 yards. He credited Harbaugh and the coaching staff for having confidence in him to make the kicks, particularly the two long ones.Kaepernick threw for 201 yards and a touchdown, and Frank Gore ran for 107 yards to offset the absence of injured tight end Vernon Davis.The 49ers smothered Smith and the Chiefs (2-3) for most of the second half, including twice in the closing moments. Smith threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns, but Perrish Cox intercepted his overthrown pass to end any chance Kansas Citys comeback.Its tough, youre competitive, you want to win the game. Some of those guys I played a long time with, said Smith, who completed 17 of 31 passes.San Francisco sparked the offence with the fake punt, and even more big plays followed. Brandon Lloyd made a leaping 29-yard catch over 6-foot-3 Sean Smith a€” basketballs version of the alley-oop, Lloyd said a€” to extend San Franciscos drive again and set up Dawsons fourth field goal.Dawson also lined up for a 54-yard field goal with 4:19 remaining after San Francisco stopped Kansas City. But the Chiefs were penalized for having 12 players on the field, handing the 49ers a first down. Dawson finished the drive with a 30-yard field goal.Smith and Kansas City took over with 2:12 left and another chance to rally. But Smith sailed a pass to tight end Anthony Fasano, and Cox swooped in for an easy interception.I thought he handled (the environment) like a champ, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Smith.On a sun-touched day that sent temperatures into the low 90s in Silicon Valley, both offences started out hot.Smith completed six of eight passes for 61 yards on the games opening drive, capping it with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce. Jamaal Charles ran for 80 yards to eclipse Larry Johnson (6,015 yards) for second place on Kansas Citys career rushing list, but was mostly a nonfactor late.San Francisco scored on all three of its possessions in the first half, though the first two ended with Dawsons big right leg. Kaepernick finished off the third drive where he wanted, rolling to his right and lofting a 9-yard pass to a wide-open Stevie Johnson to give the 49ers a 13-10 lead.The Chiefs stopped San Francisco to start the third quarter, and DeAnthony Thomas ran his first punt return 28 yards, then caught a short screen and sprinted 17 yards for a score to put the Chiefs back in front, 17-13.But San Francisco stayed focused and never lost its cool.NOTES: The often-penalized 49ers finished with just two penalties for 10 yards. ... Charles needs 53 yards to pass Priest Holmes (6,070 yards) for the franchise record. ... 49ers rookie RB Carlos Hyde had 43 yards rushing on 10 carries. ... Dawson once made six field goals in a game, going 6 for 6 on Nov. 28, 2004 with Cleveland.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Air Max Outlet . -- Lara Gut of Switzerland regained the overall World Cup lead with Sundays super-G win in Lake Louise, Alta. Air Max Sale . Assistant coach Glen Gulutzan said Thursday that Edler, who played Tuesday in Nashville, is out indefinitely. https://www.airmaxchina.us/ .C. Lions 35-14, was named the CFLs offensive player of the week Tuesday. Sheets recorded his ninth 100-yard rushing performance of the season to tie the Riders club record. Air Max From China . That was OK with him. He was just happy his team came away with two points. Letestu redirected Jack Johnsons shot from the point with 2:38 left, lifting the Blue Jackets past the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Monday night. Cheap Air Max For Sale . CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (Pistons): Yes they got Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings in the off-season and Andre Drummond is a beast (teams are kicking themselves for passing on him - he rebounds and block shots every game - thats two more discernable and significant skills than most guys in his draft class), but dont for a second discount the impact of having a savvy veteran like Billups on your team.PITTSBURGH – Save for the voice of Randy Carlyle and members of his coaching staff, Maple Leafs practice was generally an eerily quiet affair on Tuesday afternoon. Tension lingered from what occurred less than 24 hours earlier. "Push him!" Carlyle bellowed at the morning session in Toronto, the team departing to Pittsburgh shortly thereafter for a Wednesday affair against the Metropolitan division-leading Penguins. "Get up! Get up!" It was the voice of a head coach frustrated with his group. Spanked 6-0 by the ailing Blue Jackets at home on Monday evening, the Leafs were dealt a thunderous reality check at the ACC, the year-long woes and concerns of Carlyle culminating in an embarrassing defeat. "Its not like he came in and really reamed us out," Nazem Kadri said of Carlyle following arguably the teams worst game this season. "I think we all knew what we thought of the game. We just want to flush it as fast as possible and get to the next one." Outshot, outworked, outplayed, there was not much to like about the effort against Columbus, nor the concerning trends it brought to the forefront. The alarming defeat came just two nights after 50 shots were pelted at James Reimer in a shootout victory over Washington and a mere four nights after a puzzling, uninspired defeat to Nashville. With just two regulation wins all month and a difficult schedule looming in December, improvements are increasingly urgent in need. "The fact is we havent played to where we think were capable of playing and we havent played to the template that we think we have to play to," said Carlyle. Among the concerns is an offensive attack thats fallen into slumber. Shut out for the second time this season against the Blue Jackets, the Leafs have scored just 16 goals in the past 10 games, a mere 10 of those coming at even strength. Phil Kessel notably has one even-strength point all month, the team led in November scoring by Mason Raymond and Trevor Smith. Most frustrating to Carlyle is the manner in which his team has generated offence all season – save for a still potent power play – the bulk of it coming in speedy transition. Last week, Predators coach Barry Trotz referred to the Leafs as a "rush team", a distinction that while accurate based upon evidence, infuriated Carlyle to no end. "Thats what people perceive us as," he said. "[But] is that what we are? We dont want to be that." Carlyle has pushed and prodded for his group to wade away from that dazzling show-and-go (and often one-and-done) attack which has generated much of the goal-scoring and stray toward a blue-collar cycle game. He wants more shots to the net – the Leafs average the third fewest in the league – more second and third chance opportunities and more goals from the "dirty areas" of the ice.dddddddddddd "And truthfully, our defence has got to do a better job of getting pucks into that area when our forwards are there," he said. Its a brand thats emerged in bits and pieces, most prominently during a dominant 20 minutes in a loss to Boston earlier this month. "Not for 60 minutes," Carlyle said. "Thats the issue. You have to be prepared to play to your style, your template for a majority of the game for you to have success." "Thats been our problem this year," Kadri said in full agreement. "Well play some good hockey, but it hasnt been for 60 minutes. And thats really what we need to focus on." Yielding a flood of odd-man opportunities to the Blue Jackets on Monday and a boatload of shots and opportunities to the Capitals over the weekend, defensive improvements are also suitably on the agenda, even moreso with the high-powered Penguins on deck. Toronto goaltending has been so good most nights that its cloaked the teams troubles in these areas, but its been a problem no less. Only the Senators and Sabres allow more shots nightly than the Leafs. One minor change designed to help ease those troubles would see Mark Fraser reunite with Cody Franson. Paired together for most of last season, Fraser and Franson evolved into a second pairing for Carlyle, broken up this fall with a new mix of defenders. Jake Gardiner is also expected to be scratched for the first time this season in favour of Paul Ranger. A weak link all year, the Leaf defence has proven unstable beyond the top pairing of Carl Gunnarsson and Dion Phaneuf. Yet to field a full roster, the Leafs will also be without Joffrey Lupul for the next two weeks. The 30-year-old suffered a grade-2 groin strain on Monday night. "We were lucky in a lot of ways that our goaltending and our special teams were winning us hockey games when the shot clock was lopsided and we werent creating enough and we were being hemmed in [our own zone]," Carlyle said. "That, to me, is a sign that weve got to change some of the things that were doing out there. Weve tried to implement that on a day-to-day basis, but [Monday] night mightve been a culmination of the grand scheme of things. It was a pretty ugly game for us. "What were looking for from our group is a response." Optimism for the group lies in the fact that they remain third in the Atlantic division with 29 points, though after a furious 6-1-0 start, the Leafs are just 8-8-1. "Our game hasnt been really where we wanted it to be for most parts," Gunnarsson said. "I think we can step it up. [But] were in a good spot. Weve still got a lot of points and thats a good thing, right?" ' ' '