first meeting of the season.Defenceman Francois Beauchemin scored

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Pittsburgh Steelers secondary calls it the island. And it can be an unflinching, unforgiving place.Stay out there on the fringes of the defence trying to keep opposing receivers in check long enough and bad things happen. Developing the short-term memory required to get over them, however, isnt an innate talent but a necessary survival skill.One Cortez Allen is still working on.The Steelers signed the fourth-year cornerback to a $25-million contract on the eve of the season opener, a financial statement from the front office that Allen was ready to officially supplant veteran Ike Taylor as the teams top defensive back.Two months into the new deal, Allens quiet confidence is shaken, his spot in the starting lineup is in doubt and the path back uncertain. While the polite, reserved former cadet at The Citadel has kept a low profile heading into a crucial showdown against Baltimore on Sunday, his teammates are stumping for patience as Allen tries to break out of a prolonged funk.Everybody goes through it, veteran Ike Taylor said. I went through it. Deucey (William Gay) went through it. Now, hes going through it. Hes got to fight his way out.At the moment, its a decidedly uphill battle.Rock bottom may have come last Sunday, when Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck targeted Allen repeatedly while throwing for 400 yards in a 51-34 loss. Luck hit tight end Dwayne Allen for a 21-yard touchdown behind Allen in the second quarter and found Donte Moncrief for a 31-yard score over Allens outstretched arms in the third, part of a nightmarish day in which Allen was also beat for a 27-yard gain by Hakeem Nicks and drew a penalty for illegal contact, the team-high seventh flag hes earned this season.Hes got to lick his wounds, roll his sleeves up and come back to work this week, coach Mike Tomlin said. Well watch him close and expect him to do it and answer the bell that comes with putting bad stuff on tape.Theres plenty to go around. Allen started against the Colts but reserve Brice McCain also saw extensive playing time. McCains role could increase on Sunday night as the Steelers (5-3) try to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Ravens (5-3).Either way, Allen will likely be on the field. Tomlin expects Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco to locate Allens No. 28 and attack. Its what Tomlin would do if he saw an opposing defensive back struggling.He better work to defend himself, Tomlin said.Tomlin is doing his best to keep Allens spirits up. He pulled Allen aside even as the big plays piled up against Indianapolis and reiterated his support for Allen both publicly and privately. Tomlin also drafted the injured Taylor — who is still working his way back from a broken right forearm — to serve as Allens de facto life coach.Taylor stressed hes 100 per cent certain Allen will regain the form that made him the teams best defensive back last season. When that happens, even the perpetually optimistic Taylor isnt sure.What I always tell my guys at corner is that youve got to be honest with yourself, Taylor said. There is no grey area when you play corner. Either youre getting the job done or youre not. So, once you establish that, everything else comes easy.Allen is putting in the work. He spent an extra 20 minutes on the practice field on Thursday, doing some one-on-one work against practice squad wide receiver C.J. Goodwin while third-string quarterback Landry Jones threw passes and defensive co-ordinator Dick LeBeau watched attentively.It was only a month ago Allen pulled down momentum-shifting interceptions in consecutive games. Thats perhaps the most befuddling aspect of his slide. Its not like receivers are running away from him. On most plays Allen has an opportunity to make a play on the ball. Hes just not making them.Its an ebb and flow even the best endure. LeBeau carved out a Hall of Fame career while picking off 62 passes for the Detroit Lions from 1959-72. He was beaten far more often than he succeeded. His ability to not let one mistake bleed into the next is what set him apart. It has to be the same for Allen.A corner learns to live alone, and hes got to believe in himself, just go out there and play, LeBeau said. Youve got to believe in yourself to play corner and I think (Allen) does. I have a lot of confidence in him. Hes got to produce and get out there and make some plays.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Custom Miami Dolphins Jerseys .C. -- Kevin Harvick won his first career pole at Darlington Raceway on Friday as he looks to chase his first Southern 500. Durham Smythe Dolphins Jersey . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. http://www.dolphinsteamauthenticshop.com/c-89-dolphins-daniel-kilgore-jersey.aspx . The three goals bring Messis career tally for Barcelona to 371 in all games -- including friendlies -- breaking the club record of 369 held by Paulino Alcantara since 1927. The 26-year-old Messi was already the clubs all-time leading scorer in official games. Messi assured Barcelonas fans they will enjoy his goals for years to come, saying "as long as people want me, I will stay here. Durham Smythe Jersey . - The New York Rangers have momentum, a unified locker room and Henrik Lundqvist. Dan Marino Jersey . Its a blessing and a burden for nine sons of former NHL players who are all expected to be taken in the first four rounds of the draft this weekend.ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Anaheim Ducks have achieved the best record in the NHL by winning close games and wearing down their opponents along the way. The Nashville Predators found that out the hard way in their first meeting of the season.Defenceman Francois Beauchemin scored the tying goal with 2:17 left in regulation and Ryan Kesler got the deciding goal in the shootout, giving the Ducks a 4-3 victory Sunday night after they outshot the Predators 14-3 in the third period. Seventeen of Anaheims last 19 victories have been by one-goal margins, including four in overtime and four by shootouts.Its not the way we draw it up, the Ducks Corey Perry said. Theyre a heck of a hockey team. They can skate, they can make plays, and it was a battle out there tonight. They play really hard and battle for every inch.Perry and Matt Beleskey also had goals in regulation for the Ducks, who have a league-best 58 points, and Frederik Andersen made 27 saves in a matchup of division leaders.Good teams know how to win those one-goal games, Kesler said. Thats how they are in the playoffs. Playoffs are one-goal games. So if we know how to win them now, its going to make it that much easier then.Seth Jones and Craig Smith had power-play goals in the second period and Mattias Ekholm also scored for the Predators. Backup goalie Carter Hutton stopped 30 shots, but remained winless in five starts this season — all on the road.The Ducks got the tying goal when Beauchemin poked the puck past Huttons right skate during a goalmouth scramble for his second goal of an injury-plagued season.When he wants to go after the puck, nothing gets in his way, Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. It was good for him to be able to score the goal because you know hes going to the front of the net in those situations.The Predators, who blew a three-goal lead against the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in the final 2:01 of regulation on Saturday before winning in overtime, slipped into a tie atop the Central Division with Chicago after the Blackhawks beat Dallas in overtime.Weve had a tough last couple minutes the last couple games, but its nothing we cant fix and move on from, Smith said. You can see why Anaheims one of the best teams.They know how to play thheir systems well.dddddddddddd A lot of the guys on their team are really going right now. Same with us.The Ducks had four penalties called against them during a 6:37 span of the second period, after playing the first 35 1/2 minutes without getting one. Two of those infractions led to the power-play goals that gave Nashville a 3-2 lead.Jones tied the score with 6:10 left in the period on a double deflection off Keslers stick and Ben Lovejoys leg after taking long wrist shot with Beauchemin serving a holding-the-stick penalty. Smith put the Predators ahead with 2:46 to go, converting a rebound while Perry was off for tripping Shea Weber.Even though we were down 3-2, I thought we were the better team, Kesler said. Other than giving up a couple of power-play goals, I thought we took it to them 5-on-5.Beleskey opened the scoring with 7:45 left in the first with his team-high and career-best 17th goal, beating Hutton with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle after Kesler knocked heralded rookie Filip Forsberg off the puck in the neutral zone. Forsberg, who leads all rookies with 36 points, entered the game with a plus-23 rating.Ekholm tied it at 1:38 of the second with a slap shot from the top of the left circle. Anaheim regained the lead 74 seconds later on a sharp-angle shot from the right circle by Perry, his 15th goal this season and first in three games after missing the previous 10 because of a sprained knee.NOTES: Hutton received a Stanley Cup ring from the Chicago Blackhawks after the 2012-13 season despite playing in only one game for them because Ray Emery was too ill to play. It was a 3-1 loss at St. Louis in his NHL debut. ... The Ducks have been short-handed 17 times over their last three games, after a four-game stretch in which they were a man down just six times. ... Forsbergs assist on Ekholms goal was his 37th point, the most among rookies, and tied Alexander Radulovs franchise rookie record. ... The Ducks are 23-2-6 when allowing fewer than four goals. The only losses were 2-0 to St. Louis and 3-0 to San Jose. ... The Ducks have already played 15 games past regulation, just three fewer than all of last season. ... Anaheim is 1 for 27 on the power play in its last nine games. 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