Allgemeine Themen » Dec. 28 OLY–SKI-THE SNOW

18. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (9-7)LAST SEASON: Pete Carroll was in unfamiliar situation of being stuck at home for playoffs. Seattle missed postseason for just second time during Carroll’s tenure as rash of key injuries and lack of depth caught up with Seahawks Chuma Edoga Jersey , leading to major changes. Gone are Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman, and potentially Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril, plus coaches Darrell Bevell, Tom Cable and Kris Richard. Seattle seems committed to re-establishing run game that was nonexistent last season under new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Seahawks ranked 23rd in league running ball, putting too much offensive emphasis on QB Russell Wilson. Defensively, LB Bobby Wagner remained one of elite linebackers in NFL, but injuries exposed Seattle’s defense as no longer elite.THEY NEED: DE, S, DT, CB, RB, WR, QB.THEY DON’T NEED: LB http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trevon-wesco-jersey , K.POSSIBLE FIRST PICK: DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama; DE Harold Landry, Boston College; DE Marcus Davenport, UTSA;CB Josh Jackson, Iowa; S Derwin James, Florida State.OUTLOOK: All offseason general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have called Seattle’s overhaul retooling and not full rebuild. So Seahawks must hit in this draft. Belief is with Wilson and Wagner still in prime, Seattle still has chance to contend soon. But there can’t be drafts with more misses than hits. Seattle currently doesn’t have second-day pick, very unlike Seahawks, raising likelihood of trading out of No. 18 spot. ExpectSeahawks to be very aggressive in remedies for lack of second-day picks.— A look ahead to top enterprise and feature stories planned globally by AP Sports. New digests will go out each Thursday and Monday and will be repeated on other weekdays. Please note that story plans may change depending on news and other issues. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport(at)ap.org or 877-836-9477. For reruns, call the Service Desk 800-838-4616 or your local AP bureau. As with all our operations, we welcome and want your feedback. If you have thoughts or questions about the Sports Showcase Digest or the material listed, please reach out to Oskar Garcia, assistant sports editor for the U.S. east region Clelin Ferrell Jersey , at 215-446-6632 or at ogarcia(at)ap.org. All times are Eastern. — NOTE: The story that was slugged SOC–Brazil-Del Nero Survives and promised on the Showcase Digest for Dec. 21 will not move because the material was used for spot news on Friday, Dec. 15. — WEDNESDAY, Dec. 20 FBN–GOING VEGETARIAN NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee linebacker Wesley Woodyard went vegetarian after finally getting a taste of the delicious burgers his teammates ate in the locker room. He has plenty of company on defense too with 11 Titans jumping on the plant-based diet with lunches delivered by the Cordon Bleu-trained wife of linebacker Derrick Morgan. The stereotype is NFL players chow down on platters of meat to survive and thrive, but the veggie-fueled Titans rank among the league’s best defenses. By Pro Football Writer Teresa M. Walker. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 3 a.m. Wednesday. THURSDAY, Dec. 21 SKOREA-OLYMPICS-COLD GAMES PYEONGCHANG – The cold is back for the Winter Games. After two straight balmy Olympics where some might have wondered if it was even winter, let alone the world’s pre-eminent freeze-dependent sporting event, athletes and visitors alike will finally experience a no-joke chill in their bones during the games. How cold? So cold that locals say windows sometimes break. So cold that tears well in the eyes within seconds. So cold that men have been known to flashback to being posted for hours in frozen silence on the frontline during mandatory military service in their youths. So cold the ink in a pen grows sluggish and dies as it scribbles over a page. ”We all hope it will be better in February, but if it’s like it is now, there will be big trouble. It’s just too cold for outsiders,” says Choi Jong Sik, 64, who smirks as a visiting reporter sheds layers of clothing like a snake sheds skins. By Foster Klug. UPCOMING: 900 words http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-josh-jacobs-jersey , photos, video by 1 a.m. FRIDAY, Dec. 22 US HOCKEY RISING In the first 20 years of the IIHF World Junior Championship tournament, Team USA managed two podium finishes – bronze medals in 1986 and 1992.The state of USA hockey has improved, and the results of the Junior Championship – the annual tournament for the world’s best players 20 and under – reflects the development work and higher profile of the sport in a nation where hockey is only the sixth most popular sport. The US has won gold medals three times since 2010, including last year when they beat Canada in a shootout in the riveting final game. But the Americans haven’t been able to successfully defend a title, nor have they been able to win a junior tournament on their own soil. That could change when the 10-nation tournament begins the day after Christmas in Buffalo, New York. By Mitch Stacy. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 3 a.m. Friday. SUNDAY, Dec. 24 OLY–HKW-FAMILY BRANDT VADNAIS HEIGHTS, Minn. – Marissa Brandt believed her hockey career was over, until the call came inquiring about her interest in playing for South Korea’s upstart team in the upcoming Winter Olympics. As a native Korean, adopted as an infant by parents in Minnesota, she’s eligible to play for the host country. The experience has given her a life-changing chance to discover her roots Johnathan Abram Jersey , but there’s yet another twist. Her sister, Hannah Brandt, will also be going for the gold in Pyeongchang as a member of the U.S. women’s team. They’re in opposite pools in the tournament, but the Koreans and Americans could meet in the quarterfinals. By Dave Campbell. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos, video by 10 a.m. Sunday. MONDAY, Dec. 25 FBC–T25-OHIO STATE FUTURE COLUMBUS, Ohio – Reloading is going to be a little more challenging than usual for Ohio State coach Urban Meyer next fall. Seven fifth-year seniors who were key contributors are departing, including quarterback J.T. Barrett, a four-year starter who holds nearly every Ohio State passing and scoring record.Another handful of this season’s starters could depart early to enter the NFL draft. First, though, Meyer will focus on beating Southern California in the Cotton Bowl Dec. 29. By Mitch Stacy. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos by 3 a.m. Monday, Dec. 25. THURSDAY http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trayvon-mullen-jersey , Dec. 28 OLY–SKI-THE SNOW MAN PINEDALE, Wyo. – The cattle rancher and hay farmer from western Wyoming will have a big influence on who wins the speed events at the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Tom Johnston’s other job just so happens to be as one of the world’s foremost experts on shaping a race course, most notably the downhill and super-G courses that Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin, Aksel Lund Svindal and the rest will zoom down come February. By Pat Graham. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos, video by 3 a.m. Thursday. — Again, if you have questions about the Sports Showcase Digest or the material listed, please reach out to Oskar Garcia, assistant sports editor for the U.S. east region, at 215-446-6632 or at ogarcia(at)ap.org. Thanks, AP Sports