Randy Carlyle could only speak for the moment when asked about his future as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, addressing the media on Tuesday for the first time after his teams season ended short of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Cheap Shoes From China . “Im here today,” he said when asked whether he would be back with the club for the 2014-15 season. “In this business you take on the responsibility of wins and losses, he continued. “You put your best foot forward and try to be honest and forthright with people and thats what were trying to do as a hockey club.” Carlyles future has been the subject of great speculation in the wake of a disappointing season for the Leafs. A March free-fall saw the team plummet from third in the Eastern Conference to a 38-36-8 finish, good for the eighth-worst record in the League. The teams first order of business once the off-season began was to appoint former NHL Director of Player of Safety and Hockey Hall-of-Famer Brendan Shanahan as the teams new president. While Carlyle could not comment on any impending changes under Shanahan – he is yet to formally meet with his new boss – he summed up the free-fall as a symptom of how the team played throughout the year. “The last 30 days of the season was the tell-tale story for our group,” Carlyle said. “The things that we were doing in the beginning and winning came to fruition in the final 30 days.” He pointed specifically to the teams inability to capitalize on a strong road trip to California in early March as a detrimental turning point in the season. After winning two of three road games against the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings in early March, the Leafs returned to the east coast, losing three games in four nights and kicking off what would become an eight-game stretch without earning a single point in the standings. “It seemed we played well enough to earn some respect,” Carlyle said of the California trip. “Then we seemed to have lost our mojo.” From then on, the teams confidence seemed to drop every time they conceded an early goal or did not perform up to expectations. “The first goal would go in and the shoulders would slump, that was the tell-tale sign,” he said. “Our response was very minimal.” The 57-year-old Carlyle has spent parts of three seasons with the team, taking over from previous Leafs head coach Ron Wilson with 18 games remaining in the 2011-12 season. Carlyle would lead the team to a 6-9-3 finish in his first year. His most successful year at the helm would be the following season when he led the Leafs to a 26-17-5 mark in strike shortened 2012-13 and, more importantly, the franchises first playoff berth since 2003-04. They would ultimately suffer a shocking defeat in Game 7 of their opening round series, surrendering a 4-1, third period lead in the final 11 minutes of regulation and falling in overtime to the Boston Bruins. Speaking to the teams 2012-13 success, Carlyle stated that he and the teams management were confident going into the season, but that they may have misjudged the teams strength. “We had been a competitive group the year previous and we felt this group was ready to take the next step,” Carlyle said Tuesday. “It didnt materialize.” Speaking to the teams defensive posture, Carlyle didnt see a consistent effort. “You have to play and you have to compete on the defensive side of the puck with will and commitment,” Carlyle said. “We didnt do that consistently.” “Were not asking players to do something they havent done before,” he added when asked about players molding to his coaching strategy. Carlyle currently has one year remaining on the three-year deal he signed after taking over for Wilson in 2012. He stopped short of offering up explanations for how to turn the Leafs fortunes around, capitulating with: "For now, we dont have the ultimate answer to give you and were embarassed by what just went down." Shoes From China Online . -- The Oakland Raiders expect to have starting right tackle Tony Pashos back for Sundays game against the Houston Texans. Cheap Clearance Shoes Online . -- Kael Mouillierat scored three times and set up one more as the St. http://www.cheapshoesclearance.com/ .Y. - Matt Harvey wants to make sure hes on the mound in late October — if the New York Mets get there for the first time since 2006.(SportsNetwork.com) - If you are a fan of foreshadowing, keep an eye on Lambeau Field this Sunday. The New England Patriots, perhaps the AFCs best team, will invade the frozen tundra to take on one of the NFCs top contenders, the Green Bay Packers, in a potential Super Bowl XLIX preview. The Pats have won seven games in a row, including a 34-9 victory over Detroit in Week 12, a triumph that clinched the organizations 14th consecutive winning season. New England is the first to accomplish that since San Francisco did so in 16 straight seasons from 1983-1998. During the Pats current seven-game run, quarterback Tom Brady has thrown 22 touchdowns and posted a 111.7 passer rating. Against the Lions, Brady threw two touchdown passes and carved up the NFLs then-top-ranked defense, completing 38-of-53 passes for 349 yards. LeGarrette Blount had two rushing scores in his first game back with the AFC- leading Patriots, who have won 14 straight against NFC North teams and 15 consecutive at home. I thought our guys did a good job, being ready to go, said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Any time you keep a team out of the end zone like Detroit, thats good. We were able to put some points on the board, make plays in all three phases of the game. The Packers, however, are 5-0 at Lambeau this season, outscoring opponents 219-85 in those games and scoring at least 50 points in each of its past two homes games. Quarterback and leading MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers has thrown 322 consecutive passes and 29 touchdowns in a row without an interception in Green Bay; both NFL record streaks. The Pack wasnt quite as impressive on the road in Minneapolis last weekend but managed to outlast the upstart Vikings 24-21 behind Rodgers, who had two touchdown passes, and Eddie Lacy, who scored twice. This week was a little bit more of a grind-it-out thing, said Green Bay receiver Jordy Nelson. But we needed to see a game like this because if you want to win it all, you have to be able to win all sorts of games. Rodgers went 19-for-29 for 209 yards while Lacy finished the game with 25 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown, along with two catches for 13 yards and a score for the Packers, who have won three straight and now sit atop the NFC North by one-half game after the Lions drubbing of Chicago on Thanksgiving Day. He had a great game and made a lot of huge plays for us, Nelson said of Lacy. He got two touchdowns, and the way him and the O-line finished off the game for us was impressive. The Patriots own a 5-4 lead over the Packers in the all-time series between the two teams and have won two straight, including a 31-27 win the last time they met back on Dec. 19, 2010. New England actually whitewashed Green Bay 35-0 in its last trip to Lambeau behind four Brady TD passes but that was way back in 2006 when Rodgers was a backup. WHAT TO WATCH FOR These are the two top scoring teams in the NFL with the Pats pacing the 32- team league at 32.5 points per game and the Packers a tick behind at 32.2. This is likely the final leg of a four-game stretch against division-leading opponents for New England and so far Bill Belichicks bunch has passed the test with flying colors, winning the first three games by an average of over three TDs per game. The Patriots topped AFC West kingpin Denver 43-21 on Nov. 2 and AFC South stalwart Indianapolis 42-20 on Nov. 16 before disposing of Detroit in Week 12, a development that enabled Green Bay to vault over the Lions. Its not realistic for us to expect to continue to blow teams out like that, or, I dont want to say blow out, but win by a large margin, Belichick said. I cant really put my finger on what it is. I thinkk its a culmination of things and preparation. Authentic Shoes Wholesale. After Sundays game, New England travels to San Diego, which could also be tied for the AFC West lead if things break correctly in Week 13. Since losing to Kansas City to fall to 2-2 on the season, New England has been scoring nearly 40 points per game (39.5 to be exact) and Brady has taken off, averaging 315.3 passing yards per game with the 22 touchdowns against just four interceptions. Perhaps the biggest contributor to that has been the health of All-World tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is feeling good after a myriad of injuries in recent seasons and has amassed 27 receptions and five touchdowns in his last four games. The Pats have also begun to mirror their former success with the two-tight end offense when Gronkowski teamed with Aaron Hernandez, before the latters personal life went off the rails. Tim Wright, who was acquired from Tampa Bay before the season, has six TDs on his 23 receptions. If there is one team that can keep up with the Patriots, though, its the Packers, especially at Lambeau. The key to Green Bay at home has been blitzing people out of the starting blocks. The Packers have outscored their opponents by an amazing 66-0 margin in the first quarter of their last four home contests. That number expands to 128-9 at halftime. Foes have been looking up and finding the score 14-0 in the first four or five minutes of a game and that has enabled a flawed Packers defense to excel as teams become more one-dimensional. Were playing Green Bay in Green Bay, Belichick said. Thats where theyve been very dominant, really, in terms of getting ahead and playing from ahead, first quarter. The numbers are staggering. Rodgers has thrown for 18 touchdowns without an interception at home this season. Overall, the All-Pro leads the NFL with a 119.3 passer rating and has thrown for 30 scores against just three INTs. I think Aarons a great quarterback, Belichick said. He does everything well, is very smart, does a great job with his team in situations and seeing things at the line of scrimmage, putting them in good plays and (a) very accurate passer, very good with his feet, hard to sack, hard guy to bring down, has real good awareness. I think pretty much everything with his game is excellent to outstanding. Rodgers favorite target, Nelson, averages over 120 yards receiving per game at Lambeau and has scored at least one TD in the teams five home games this year. Randall Cobb isnt bad either, snaring 20 balls with two TDs in his last three at home. Teams are going to take away what we do best, and what weve done best is get the ball to Jordy and Randall, Rodgers said. Theyve had big statistical seasons so (opponents) try to take them out of the game. Minnesota did that at home and New England is better equipped than most to do it because of star cornerback Darrelle Revis, perhaps the best man-to-man coverage corner in the game. Opponents often assume Belichick will just lock up Revis with their best receiver but the Pats coach is usually a step ahead and he could use Revis to lock up Cobb and then double Nelson. Either way thats where the powerful Lacy comes in. A bowling bowl of butcher knives, no one wants to tackle Lacy in the open field, especially when things gets cold. Hes a workhorse, said Rodgers. We need him in the winter months. OVERALL ANALYSIS Something has to give here because New England has won seven in a row overall and the Packers are a perfect 5-0 at Lambeau. The guess here is home field holds up with the Patriots being far more competitive them most visitors to Lambeau. Sports Network predicted outcome: Packers 34, Patriots 24 ' ' '