NEW ORLEANS -- One car rear-ends another on a Saturday night. People argue. It escalates.Ten or so gunshots later, one driver is dead and the other waits nervously to give his side of the story to police.Conflicts settled by gunfire are tragically common in New Orleans but there was nothing routine about this one: the dead man was retired football player Will Smith, a star on the 2006 Saints team that help lift the stricken citys spirits with a winning season after Hurricane Katrina, and on the team that won the franchises only Super Bowl three seasons later.The accused is a 29-year-old former semiprofessional football player named Cardell Hayes. The owner of a tow-truck company and the father of a 5-year-old son, Hayes is described by friends as soft-spoken, even-tempered -- hardly the type to erupt into a lethal road rage. His attorney has been laying the groundwork for a self-defense argument ahead of a trial that opens Monday, but he may face an added burden in Smiths local popularity and national renown.Will Smith obviously was a beloved member of the New Orleans community, Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino said in a recent interview. And thats going to make the defense of this case all the more difficult.Smiths shooting death is strangely similar to that of Joe McKnight, another former NFL player who was shot and killed just last Thursday in a New Orleans suburb after a road rage incident on a nearby bridge spiraled out of control. The man authorities identified as the shooter in that case -- Ronald Gasser -- has been released from custody with no charges as the investigation continues.Hayes has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in Smiths death. Conviction carries a mandatory life sentence. Hes also charged with attempted second-degree murder in the wounding of Smiths wife, who was shot in the legs. Hes been jailed since the April shooting, unable to make the $1.75 million bond.Snippets of surveillance video from near the scene, police statements plus testimony from pre-trial hearings paint this picture of what happened on April 9:Smith, his wife and two friends left a restaurant in New Orleans Lower Garden District and were heading downtown on Magazine Street. At one point Smiths SUV appeared to bump the rear of a Hummer that had come to a stop on the street.Rather than stop, Smith swerved his SUV around the Hummer and continued downtown. Moments later, the Hummer hit Smiths SUV from behind, shattering the rear window and pushing it into the rear of another car -- in which more friends of Smith were riding.Who the aggressors were in the ensuing conflict will be at issue in the trial. Hayes acknowledged to at least one police officer that he was armed when he got out of his vehicle. He said he was accosted by an unarmed Smith and others, and that Smith struck him, although police said there were no obvious signs of injury.The first officer to approach the scene after the crash was an off-duty rookie who had been at a nearby bar. Christopher McGaw has testified that he approached the scene as the argument grew more heated, ducked for cover when gunshots rang out, then approached again, finding Smith slumped across the front seat of his car, one hand extended toward the glove box.What was I supposed to do? Hayes is heard asking McGaw, on a recording of a 911 call McGaw had placed at the scene.Why Smith drove away from the scene of the first, apparently minor accident; whether Hayes intentionally rammed Smiths vehicle moments later; whether Smith was reaching for a gun when he was shot to death -- all are issues that will likely be addressed at trial.On the side of the defense is a toxicology report showing that Smith was legally drunk at the time of his death. Other factors Ciolino cited: The fact that Will Smith was, by some reports, so loud and belligerent; the fact that the forensic evidence, arguably could support that Will Smith was reaching for a gun.Smith had returned to his SUV when he was shot and police said there was a loaded gun in the vehicle. That might help the defense argument that Hayes shot in self-defense, Ciolino said. But its an argument that could be blunted by the fact that Smith was shot eight times -- seven in the back, one in the side -- Ciolino added.Prosecutors also have made much of the fact that Hayess Hummer had hit Smiths SUV from behind so hard that the rear window shattered.Another odd twist in the case: A friend of Smiths who wound up at the scene the night of the shooting is William Ceravolo, a retired New Orleans police officer who had dined with the Smiths before the accident. Ceravolo was among six officers sued by Hayes after police killed his father, Anthony Hayes, in December 2005. Police settled the lawsuit in 2011, and terms were confidential. Fake Curry 3 . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. Curry 1 Shoes For Sale .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. http://www.outletunderarmourstore.com/cheap-curry-1-online.html . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Scorpio Shoes Sale . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Under Armour Basketball Shoes Outlet . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. MEXICO CITY -- As much as possible, the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans want to treat their trip to Mexico City as business as usual.But theres no hiding the fact that this game will be unlike any other road trip.Players have been given security warnings. The teams are taking precautions about how their food is prepared. And both teams are figuring out how to deal with the thin air 7,380 feet above sea level when the Texans (6-3) take on the Raiders (7-2) on Monday night at Azteca Stadium.Players have run extra laps, spent more time on the bike, and a few have even used elevation masks as part of their training for the game.Its going to be tough, Raiders offensive lineman Donald Penn said. Im not going to sugarcoat it. Whenever that second wind hits, then youre good. You hope that second wind hits early, then youre really good. When my second wind hits, its usually early in the first quarter, second quarter maybe.Both teams have some experience with playing at altitude, with the Texans traveling to Mile High in Denver last month and the Raiders making annual trips there. Mexico City is more than 2,000 feet higher than Denver but both teams are in the same boat.Were on an equal playing field, Texans offensive lineman Duane Brown said. No ones more used to the altitude than the other team, so were all going out there with the same struggle, if there will be a struggle.The thin air also could impact how the game is played, with throws and kicks both able to travel longer distances. Three of the five longest field goals in NFL history have come at altitude in Denver, including Matt Praters record 64-yarder for the Broncos in 2013.In Denver, I can see anywhere from 6 to 7 yards difference in ball carry, just over my past experience there, Texans punter Shane Lechler said. I know the altitude here in Mexico City is going to be a little higher, but you still have to hit a good ball. Its not like every single time its going to be a huge difference.The altitude is only one factor that will make the second regular-season game ever in Mexico different from a typical one in the NFL.The Mexican fans are known for their enthusiasm at soccer games and the players expect nothing less Monday night, with perhaps more cheers than usual for kicks and punts from a crowd used to a different kind of football.I like to watch soccer, so Im wondering is it going to be like a soccer atmosphere where they have the horns playing and stuff like that, Texans cornerback A.J. Bouyee said.ddddddddddddIm already visualizing everything on what its going to be like. At the end of the day, you just got to expect the unexpected.The NFL announced the matchup for the game back in February and has spent lots of time planning for the week to make it as smooth as possible for the players and teams.Mark Waller, the NFLs executive vice president of international, said the league gave the teams advice on when to arrive to limit the effects of the elevation; made sure there were English speaking drivers for the players; and worked with the chefs at the team hotels to ensure the players could get their usual meals.Our goal in any game is to not have any reason why the teams would be disrupted from performing at their best in any market in any game, Waller said.As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, Azteca Stadium has undergone major renovations since the NFL last played a regular-season game there in 2005. Capacity was reduced from more than 100,000 to 84,000, with premium seating added, improved communication capability and new locker rooms that can handle the larger roster for football teams.This game is the first of a three-year contract for the NFL to play in Mexico City, and the league would like it to become an annual event.In the same way that we built in London an annual game, I would like to think we can do the same thing there and become part of the sporting calendar, Waller said. We want to become known as one of the great sporting events in the city in any given year.Waller said he wasnt sure whether it would be better to have one team become the regular host of the games like Jacksonville does in London or to rotate teams. The Raiders would be a prime candidate to give up a home game to come to Mexico City because of their uncertain stadium situation -- they seek a possible move to Las Vegas -- and their popularity in Mexico.It was impressive to see all the Raiders fans down there and see how excited they were for the game, said Raiders running back Taiwan Jones, who made two offseason trips south of the border to help promote the game. One thing I heard from the locals was how crazy an environment its going to be. From what I hear, Its going to be a party.---AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken contributed to this report---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '