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WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama can appreciate a team overcoming long odds. Welcoming the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks to the White House on Wednesday, Obama took note that some football analysts hadnt seen Seattle as a top-tier team. A die-hard fan of his hometown Chicago Bears, Obama nevertheless said he felt a certain kinship with the overachieving Seahawks. "As a guy who was elected president named Barack Obama, I root for the underdog," the president joked. The Seahawks clinched their first Super Bowl victory in the history of the franchise in February by beating the Denver Broncos 43-8. The distinction for the team and by extension for the NFL came a day after a group of retired players accused the league in a lawsuit of turning a blind eye to the use of painkillers by teams that later led to serious complications. Obama has expressed misgivings about the violence of the sport, saying in an interview with the New Yorker published early this year that if he had a son he would not let him play pro football. Next week, Obama will hold a White House meeting on concussions and sports safety at the White House that will include young athletes, professional athletes, parents, coaches and health experts. In a nod to that controversy, Obama took note of Seahawks owner Paul Allens charitable foundation that has donated millions of dollars to research traumatic brain injuries. "Obviously this is a concern of the NFL, but is also a concern of our troops," Obama said. Obama singled out the teams outspoken cornerback, Richard Sherman, for being a role model to young people. Sherman was born in Compton, California, once a centre of gang activity and a city that suffered from severely underperforming schools. Sherman however was a standout student who attended Stanford University on a scholarship. "If he seems a little brash, its because youve got to have attitude sometimes if you are going to overcome some of this adversity," Obama said. He also recognized Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who many scouts believed would be too small to succeed in the NFL only to set a record for most wins in two first seasons by any quarterback. "He also became only the second African-American quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl," Obama said. "And the best part about it is nobody commented on it, which tells you the progress that weve made, although weve got more progress to make." Air Max Shoes Cheap . Picard had a goal and two assists to help Canada improve to 2-0 at the tournament. Seven different players scored for the two-time defending champions. "Today all four lines played excellent," said head coach Laura Schuler. Nike Air Max Wholesale . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN Habs at 7:30pm et/8:30pm at. http://www.wholealeairmaxshoes.com/ . The Mets made the announcement Sunday night. Parnell blew a save on opening day against Washington and the next day it was revealed he had partially torn right elbow ligament. Cheap Air Max Shoes Store . 3 seed Phillip Kohlschreiber from Germany. Defending champion Marin Cilic also reached the semifinals -- his fourth in Zagreb -- defeating fellow Croat Ivan Dodig. German qualifier Bjorn Phau beat Dudi Sela of Israel to reach his first semifinals in nearly five years. Wholesale Air Max Free Shipping . Tortorella told The Vancouver Province hell be cheering for Team Sweden to win gold when they take on the defending Olympic champions on Sunday morning. "I hope Sweden wins, cause I dont think Hammer (Dan Hamhuis) is going to play, judging by whats happened.Chip Kelly got another versatile playmaker for his offence. The Philadelphia Eagles acquired running back Darren Sproles from the New Orleans Saints for a fifth-round draft pick on Tuesday. The Eagles also agreed on a two-year contract with former Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll. "Darren Sproles is an unbelievable offensive weapon," Kelly said. "He can do it all: run, catch, plus hes a proven winner. And on top of that, he can bring all of those dynamic skills to the return game as well. There is no question we were all excited once we found out we were going to be able to trade for him." The 30-year-old Sproles is coming off one of his least productive seasons. He ranked in the bottom five among punt returners with a 6.7 yards per return average and was third worst among kick returners with an average of 21.3. Sproles offensive numbers also went down for the third straight year. He had 71 catches for 604 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 220 yards and two scores. He joins an up-tempo offence that was quite dynamic in Kellys first season in Philadelphia. The Eagles set team records for points (442), total net yards (6,676), touchdowns (53), and gross yards passing (4,406). All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy had a franchise-best 1,607 yards rushing and 2,146 yards from scrimmage. Pro Bowl MVP Nick Foles had the third-highest passer rating (119.2) in league history. "Darren is a player that we have admired for many years," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. "Hes a proven performer at a high level. Hes such a dangerous back and hes a great piece to add to our offence and to our special teams. We spent a considerable time in order to try to make this happen and we were very happy to get a deal done with New Orleans." Sproles played his first five seasons in San Diego and last three with the Saints. He has run for 2,221 yards and 11 TDs and caught 378 passes for 3,381 yards and 27 TDs. Since 2007, Sproles leads the NFL with 13,806 all-purpose yards and ranks first among running backs in receptions (375), yards receiving (3,371) and TD catches. He also has five return touchdowns on punts (three) and kickoffs (two). The Saints get thee second of Philadelphias two fifth-round picks in May.ddddddddddddThe Eagles acquired that pick from the Patriots in a trade for defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga last October. New Orleans beat the Eagles in Philadelphia in a first-round playoff game in January. The Saints have been successful with several fifth-round picks in recent years: wide receiver Kenny Stills, cornerback Corey White, 2012 Pro Bowl punter Thomas Morstead, two-time Pro Bowl left guard Carl Nicks, and defensive end Rob Ninkovich. Whose success has come with New England. Carroll is the fourth free agent signed by the Eagles since Tuesday, joining former Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins and special teams standouts Chris Maragos and Bryan Braman. Carroll had three interceptions and two sacks in 12 starts last season. Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher were Philadelphias starting cornerbacks in 2013 and Brandon Boykin started in the slot. The Eagles finished last in pass defence. "Nolan Carroll brings good experience to our team," Kelly said. "Hes been a starter in Miami. Hes a good athlete and hell bring good depth to our cornerback position with Cary, Fletch and Brandon. His skill set fits what we are trying to do on defence and special teams." Carroll allowed just 43 receptions in 451 coverage snaps last year, according to Pro Football Focus. Opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of only 65.0 when targeting him. "Nolan is a guy we have studied for a while and the thing you see is his size, speed and press ability," Roseman said. "He will add depth to a cornerback group we already feel good about. You can never have enough big, long corners on a football team. Hes also a player that has proven to be a productive gunner on special teams." The 27-year-old Carroll had 135 tackles, five interceptions, 22 passes defended and three sacks in four seasons in Miami. Before NFL free agency opened, the Eagles re-signed wide receivers Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin and gave contract extensions to All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters and centre Jason Kelce. They also re-signed punter Donnie Jones this week. ' ' '
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