PITTSBURGH -- Mike Tomlin is not a big picture guy. The Pittsburgh Steelers coach, as he likes to say, prefers not to paint with a broad brush.Only when the season is over will Tomlin widen out the lens. Still, even with a month to go Tomlin acknowledged the responsibilities placed on cornerback Ross Cockrell have been borderline unfair. Signed off the waiver wire in the summer of 2015, Cockrell has rapidly evolved into Pittsburghs equivalent of a shutdown corner, a spot he earned through a combination of merit and attrition.And one in which Cockrell has largely thrived. The latest proof came last Sunday, when Cockrell and rookie first-round pick Artie Burns helped keep New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in check for large portions of a 24-14 win that kept Pittsburgh (7-5) tied for first in the AFC North.Not bad for a player deemed expendable by the Buffalo Bills -- whom the Steelers visit this weekend -- who also spent a large portion of 2015 playing only in sub packages. Now hes the guy Tomlin turns to first when facing a top-flight wide receiver.Because of his partner being the young guy that he is in Artie Burns, weve challenged him in ways that maybe arent necessarily fair to him or a guy in his position, Tomlin said. Oftentimes, we treat him as a much more seasoned player than he actually is in terms of the things we ask him to do.Thats fine by Cockrell, who has lined up across from Beckham, A.J. Green and Dez Bryant among others while helping anchor a secondary that is starting to come together after a slow start. Ranked 30th against the pass a month ago, the Steelers have steadily improved to 19th during a three-game winning streak. New Yorks Eli Manning managed just 195 yards through the air, with 52 of them coming on a meaningless last-minute drive when the outcome was already decided.Cockrell hardly claims to be a miracle worker, quickly passing credit to a rejuvenated pass rush that has generated 13 sacks over the last three weeks -- or the same total the Steelers managed through the first nine games combined.We are getting pressure on the quarterback and that helps a whole bunch on the back end, Cockrell said. So long as those guys continue to perform well, I think well be a good defense.The Steelers prefer to mix up their matchups and Burns is rapidly maturing into the aggressive force they envisioned when they took him with the 25th overall pick in the draft. Cockrell entered the league as a fourth-round selection in 2014, but lost his job at the end of his second training camp with the Bills. The Steelers didnt waste any time picking him up.One mans misfortune, or one organizations luxury, is another ones opportunity, Tomlin said. We were thankful he was available to us. Hes been a consistent performer for us. And one thats been consistently on the rise.The Bills in a way offer a breather of sorts, at least when it comes to throwing all over the field. Buffalo is dead last in passing and quarterback Tyrod Taylor is struggling to find any sort of rhythm. While running back LeSean McCoy is so dynamic Buffalo often doesnt need Taylor to put it up to move the ball, a little bit of Taylor and wide receiver Sammie Watkins could go a long way for the Bills. It will be up to Cockrell and company to try and keep Watkins under wraps and Pittsburghs late-season surge afloat.I think were all just growing thorough the process, and thankfully, I think were growing in the right ways, Tomlin said. And I think thats helping us put better tape out there and putting us in position to win the games.Game notes Tomlin said theres a chance injured kicker Chris Boswell (abdomen) could return this weekend but the team will hold on to Randy Bullock just in case. ... RB DeAngelo Williams (knee) and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) could return to practice this week.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Saucony Shoes Outlet Store . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Discount Saucony Shoes Online . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. http://www.cheapsaucony.com/ .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Saucony Shoes From China . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Cheap Saucony Shoes Store . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Its inevitable. The day after the US Open ends, the clarity and narratives that propelled tennis through most of the summer vanish.It doesnt help that the tours ramble off to relatively new outposts in Asia and Russia before wending their way back, at least in the case of the ATP, to a more traditional finale in Europe and London. Another stumbling block to clarity: Both tour calendars are crowded with tournaments, many competing directly with each other.Dont be fooled. Lets make some sense of what the tours have in store for us in the coming weeks.ATPWhats at stake?Top-ranked Novak Djokovic has a massive lead of nearly 5,000 ranking points over No. 2 Andy Murray. Thats the equivalent of a Grand Slam win and victories in three Masters 1000 events. Murrays lead over No. 3 Stan Wawrinka is also significant -- more than 3,000 points. With Roger Federer out for the year and Rafael Nadal at a distant No. 4 but still a shadow of his former combative self, there will be no musical chairs at the top level. From Nadal on down, though, almost everyone is either vulnerable or facing a significant opportunity.That opportunity would culminate with the year-end championships in London. The top eight players in the world qualify, and with Federer out, it opens the door for someone else. Right now Nadal sits in the eighth position in the race (not to be confused with the rankings). Tomas Berdych and Marin Cilic are close behind; a strong finish could propel them into the seasons final event.Notable tournamentsThere are six ATP 250 events before the end of the year, starting with those now underway in France and Russia, respectively: Metz (defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga); St. Petersburg (Milos Raonic); Chengdu, China (new event, replacing Kuala Lumpur, won in 2015 by David Ferrer); Shenzhen, China, (Berdych); Stockholm, (Berdych); Antwerp, Belgium, (new event, replacing Valencia, Spain, won in 2015 by Joao Sousa); and the Kremling Cup in Moscow (Cilic).The four more prestigious ATP 500 events are played over just two double-up weeks. Beijing (China Open) and Tokyo (Japan Open) begin the first week in October. Djokovic is the defending champ in Beijing; Wawrinka won Tokyo in 2015. Murray is entered in Beijing, along with Nadal and Raonic. Wawrinka will be challenged by Kei Nishikori, Cilic, Gael Monfils and others in Japan.The other double-up 500 week is the last one in October, with Basel (Swiss Indoors) and Vienna (Austria) on the schedule. Federer is the defending champ in Basel, while Ferrer won in Vienna. With Federer out and Ferrer showing his age, its reasonable to expect two new champions to emerge. Wawrinka, Nadal and Raonic headline Basel, while Murray and Dominic Thiem lead the parade in Vienna.The two ATP 1000 events of the fall are Shanghai, during the second week of October, and Paris, which takes place the first week of November. They are mandatory for all players who qualify for entry by ranking. Djokovic won both last year. He also won the ATP World Tour Finals, which follows immediately.Players to watchRaonic, ranked No. 6 but nipping at the heels of No. 5 Nishikori as well as Nadal could make some moves in the rankings. Given Wawrinkas on-again, off-again nature, Raonic might even end up challenging the Stanimal for the No. 3 spot. Its all hard courts from here on in -- many of which will be played indoors. That suits Raonic just fine given the Wimbledon runner-up has a mmassive serve, a booming forehand and a growing appetite for ending points swiftly.ddddddddddddNishikori is a massive star in Asia, so theres always extra pressure on him during the fall. He also has been injury prone after a long year, and that could take its toll, especially in the ATP World Tour Finals, where only the best of the best play.WTAWhats at stake?Angelique Kerber snatched the No. 1 ranking from Serena Williams at the US Open; Williams has an excellent chance to get it back in time to finish the year on top. She did not play a single tournaments after the 2015 US Open, and Williams has no rankings points to lose the rest of the year. She can only add to her current total of 7,050. Kerber, who has 8,730 points, earned about 1,200 last fall. Right now, were waiting to see if Williams decides to play any fall ball this season.Like the ATP, the WTA will also host a year-end championships. It will take place the last week of October, in Singapore. Carla Suarez Navarraro holds the slimmest of leads (two points) over Madison Keys for the eighth and final spot, with Johanna Konta and Svetlana Kuznetsova also making a push.The tournamentsThe seven WTA International Series events that remain on the calendar award the winner with 280 points. They are, starting with the ongoing events in Seoul, South Korea, and Guangzhou, China (defending champions, respectively: Irina-Camelia Begu and Jelena Jankovic); Tashkent, Uzbekistan, (Nao Hibino); Tianjin, China (Agnieszka Radwanska); Hong Kong (Jankovic); Linz, Austria, (Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova); and Luxembourg (Misaki Doi).There are two Premier 12 level tournaments (470 points to the winner) events as well. The Toray Pan Pacific Open, in Tokyo, is going on this week. (Radwanska won it last year.) During the fourth week in October, its the Kremlin Cup, in Moscow (Kuznetsova).The two most important tournaments of the fall are back-to-back events starting next week in Wuhan, China. That one is the lone Premier 5, with the winner earning 900 points. (Venus Williams is your defending champ). It is immediately followed by the only Premier Mandatory, Beijings China Open. The winner there will rake in 1,000 ranking points, as Garbine Muguruza did last year. These will be particularly important battlegrounds this year.Finally, its the season-ending championships, where Radwanska, a surprise winner, prevailed a year ago.Players to watchTheres no question, Kerber has established herself as the first true rival Serena Williams has ever really faced since she hit her latest champions stride in 2012. Even combative Victoria Azarenka never got the best of Williams when it most counted, although the Belarusian came close a few times. Williams and Kerber could meet for the first time since they changed places in the rankings next week in Wuhan, and both could play Beijing as well. The events of the next few weeks could also tell a lot about 2017.Last year, Muguruza swooned after she reached the Wimbledon final, then crafted an impressive autumn surge. Can she do it again under similar circumstances, after having won the French Open?There are no Grand Slam titles at stake, but there are enough compelling storylines through November that could make for fun, captivating competition until the Aussie Open begins -- in 114 days. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '