The new buzz-phrase of AFL coaches is field position. But what exactly is it? Just another bit of footy jargon that the fans are clueless about?Well, not really. Field position relates to the forward press that is de rigeur in AFL football nowadays, in the sense that a team with good field position has pushed the ball into its half, has its defensive grid in place and working properly.That they now have an expression for it shows how much stock the coaches put into the way they set themselves up in games, and how significant the defensive systems are.All of which makes you wonder whether Ross Lyon should have put a patent on his forward press when he introduced it at St Kilda in 2009, originally dubbed frontal pressure by Neil Craig, but certainly a stunningly new variation of the defensive zones that were being used by Craig, Alastair Clarkson (the cluster) and others around that time.Lyon would have made a fortune because within a year of unveiling his little invention it had been turned back upon him by Collingwood in 2010 with a quicker and better version which the Magpies called The Box, or the Roman Box. And now everyone is trying to lock the ball in the front half of the ground, not least triple premiership juggernaut Hawthorn, which deploys tackling machines like Paul Puopolo, Luke Breust and Cyril Rioli with the express purpose of doing it.The press came from basketball, specifically a man named John Wooden who coached UCLA on the college scene in the 1960s, and it changed that game, too, because previously the defensive team automatically folded back once it lost possession, conceding the middle part of the court.But in basketball, the press became so common that the antidotes to the press also came along, and that is about where we are at with AFL football now. Everyone knows that it is coming, and it is about how you handle it.Basically it is the same in both games; if the press works well, you can potentially get the ball back and extract an easy score, but if it breaks down you concede an easy score at the other end. It is risk-reward. It is also why we see so many goals dribbled through from the goalsquare nowadays (Adelaide, and particularly ESPN columnist Josh Jenkins, is brilliant at this), and why so many forwards seem to be able to find space without the nuisance of an opponent (witness Jason Johannisen getting himself clear to mark and goal to win the game for the Bulldogs in Sydney last weekend).Collingwoods version continually fell apart in the early stretch of the year, allowing opposing teams with a touch of daring the licence to score heavily against the Magpies until it was tightened up, and given a certain stiffness by one Ben Reid, the forgotten champion of the black and white brigade, who has returned to his best.Adelaide is the No.1 scoring team in the AFL partly because it has a cluster of options up forward but also because under Don Pyke, the Crows run at opposition presses with a bravado that is unmatched. Yet this can work the other way, too, and the Crows are only eighth on the defensive list, conceding 88 points per game. Melbourne pulled Pykes team apart at times last weekend, and kicked 15 goals, enough to win most games. Problem was, Adelaide kicked 18, which is precisely the issue when you play the Crows. Once again, it is about risk-reward.The coachspeak is interesting. Every week at quarter-time and three-quarter time breaks club staff hold up whiteboards to show the players up-to-date statistics for a range of KPIs, and contested possession is almost invariably one. Specifically, the coaches will refer to the contested possession differential between the two teams, plus or minus a certain number.It is meant to be important. But Hawthorn has lost the contested ball count in 12 of 14 games this year and are on top of the ladder, which Nathan Buckley described this week as an outlier. It is a puzzling statistic for everyone.How can it be so? At a guess, it is because Hawthorn presses up so hard and well that it more often than not gets the football back before it even reaches the point of a proper contest. The Hawks get their hands on the Sherrin through rundown tackles and intercept marks. Then you cant get it back from them.It works pretty damned well, as the results show. Which means that the four-peat still looks well and truly on. Hydro Flask 32 Oz Nz . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Hydro Flask 40 Oz Sale . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. http://www.hydroflasknzsale.com/ . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. Hydro Flask 32 Oz Clearance . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Hydro Flask 40 Oz Straw Lid Sale . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. WASHINGTON (6-5-1) at PHILADELPHIA (5-7)Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FoxOPENING LINE -- Redskins by 1RECORD VS. SPREAD -- Washington 7-4, Philadelphia 5-7SERIES RECORD -Redskins lead 85-73-5LAST MEETING -- Redskins beat Eagles 27-20, Oct. 16LAST WEEK -Redskins lost to Cardinals 31-23, Eagles lost to Bengals 32-14AP PRO32 RANKING -- Redskins No. 13, Eagles No. 24REDSKINS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (2), RUSH (11), PASS (2)REDSKINS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (23T), RUSH (22), PASS (18)EAGLES OFFENSE -- OVERALL (20), RUSH (10), PASS (23)EAGLES DEFENSE -- OVERALL (11), RUSH (16), PASS (13)STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES -- Redskins seek fifth straight win over Eagles for first time since six-game streak from 1981-84. ... Redskins seek consecutive road wins vs. Eagles for first time since 2007-08. ... Redskins have scored 72 points in last two games in Philadelphia. ... QB Kirk Cousins has six 300-yard passing games, one shy of his team record set last year. Cousins has thrown TD pass in 11 straight games and 16 in a row on the road. ... WR Jamison Crowder needs two catches to set career high. ... TE Vernon Davis needs three receptions to become 12th tight end with 500 in NFL history. ... WR Pierre Garcon has catch in 98 consecutive games. ... LB Ryan Kerrigan has 10 sacks. ... LB Trent Murphy has 3 1/2 sacks and two forced fumbles in last four games vs.dddddddddddd NFC East. ... Eagles are 4-1 at home and have outscored opponents 121-65. ... Eagles rank second in NFL in time of possession (31:48). ... Offense has scored five TDs in last five red-zone trips. ... Defense has held opponent to under 3.0 yards per carry in past two games. ... QB Carson Wentz tied NFL rookie record with 36 completions last week. Hes second among rookies with 2,901 yards passing and 12 TDs. ... Eagles TE Zach Ertz has 20 catches in last three games and one TD. ... WR Jordan Matthews has 14 receptions for 163 yards and three TDs in past two home games vs. Redskins. ... Defense had 20 sacks in first five games and only six in past six games, including none in past two. ... Eagles have two kickoff returns for TDs, by Josh Huff and Wendell Smallwood. Kenjon Barner had career-long 61-yard kickoff return last week and also had 52-yarder earlier this year. ... Fantasy Tip: WR DeSean Jackson went to three Pro Bowls with Eagles from 2008-13. He has 17 catches for 338 yards and one TD in four games against them.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and -http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLCheap Jerseys [url=http://www.cheapauthenticnfljerseys.net/]China NFL J