Bruce Arians, Pete Carroll, Jason Garrett, familiar names likely to get support for the APs Coach of the Year honour.How about the guys who do the grunt work for them? Some call plays, others spend countless hours teaching, administrating, organizing. Few get the glory.Until this season. On Jan. 31, the night before the Super Bowl, at the prime-time NFL Honors TV show, the leagues top assistant coach will, indeed, bask in the spotlight. For the first time, the AP will present a separate award to the assistant coach voted to have done the best job in 2014.And there are plenty of candidates.Todd Bowles, Arizona defensive co-ordinatorAlready being looked at for upcoming head coaching vacancies, Bowles has worked wonders with an injury-ravaged unit. The Cardinals (11-3) stay in — or win — games more because of their defence and coaching than anything.Adam Gase, Denver offensive co-ordinator.Gases unit now has become as much run-oriented as Peyton Manning-oriented, and its working. Remember, this is the guy who got some wins out of Tim Tebow back in 2011.I think hes used the knowledge of the coaches that hes worked with, you know, the offensive coaches especially, and the Nick Sabans that have been instrumental in some of his coaching philosophies, Manning says. Hes used those to apply to his coaching style and its helped him a lot.Like Bowles, Gases name will come up in the January chase for head coaching positions, particularly for teams with a young QB in need of development.Teryl Austin, Detroit defensive co-ordinatorThe phrase Lions impressive defence is something new around the Motor City. Austin has it ranked second overall and first against the run in his first year on the job.Detroits secondary was expected to be a weak link, but it has yielded only 238 points. Austin has cultivated balance and gotten it.James Campen, Green Bay offensive lineWhen you have a prized quarterback such as Aaron Rodgers and a stud runner in Eddie Lacy, one thing that can neutralize them in Titletown is weak blocking. The Packers had been so-so on the offensive line for too long, but Campen has helped develop youngsters who could become anchors: tackle David Bakhtiari and rookie centre Corey Linsley.Rod Marinelli, Dallas defensive co-ordinator; Bill Callahan, Dallas offensive co-ordinator/offensive line; Scott Linehan, Dallas passing gameA three-pronged candidacy.The Cowboys dedication to DeMarco Murray, like Rodgers a leading contender for MVP, and the running game lifts both Callahan and Linehan into consideration. Callahan oversees perhaps the best line in the NFL, and Linehan has avoided the temptation to put a heavy burden on QB Tony Romo.But the most eye-catching work in Big D has come from its, well, Big D. Expectations for the Cowboys defence couldnt have been lower entering 2014. Yet Marinelli has moulded an unheralded (some would say undertalented) group into a winner.Dan Quinn, Seattle defensive co-ordinatorThis one is simple: Seattles sometimes overpowering defence makes the Seahawks tough to derail. Its doing exactly what it needs to do for Seattle to repeat, despite personnel losses to injury and free agency.Dave Fipp, Philadelphia special teams co-ordinatorNo discounting the additions of Darren Sproles, Josh Huff, Chris Maragos, Cody Parkey and Bryan Braman, Fipp has done a strong job making his groupings, well, special. The Eagles have a huge edge on opponents in punt/kickoff returns and coverage, and have four runbacks for TDs.Todd Haley, Pittsburgh offensive co-ordinatorIf anyone said Pittsburgh leads the league in something, the natural instinct for the home of the Steel Curtain would be to think defence. Nope. Haley has helped Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell into position to set franchise marks.Gary Kubiak, Baltimore offensive co-ordinatorRay Rice, suspended. Barnard Pierce, hurt and then ineffective.So Kubiak turned to journeyman Justin Forsett, and Forsett is among the league leaders in rushing.The O-line has been outstanding, allowing only 16 sacks.The biggest thing with Gary is the confidence he gives the unit, QB Joe Flacco says. I think Gary does a great job of doing that and seeing what theyre giving us out there and making adjustments and making calls on the fly.Jim Schwartz, Buffalo defensive co-ordinator; Pepper Johnson, Buffalo defensive lineSchwartz might have flopped as a head man in Detroit, but hes rediscovered his tough defensive mastery here. No better evidence than the 21-13 win over the high-powered Packers last Sunday.His biggest helper has been Johnson, who took over a topnotch unit and has made it even better.Bill Kollar, Houston defensive lineSure, J.J. Watt, another leading MVP contender, would make any coach look good. Listen to what Watt has to say about his mentor:Every single day is something new with him. Im always learning and Im always improving as a player. I owe a lot of my credit to him.Such an endorsement might make Kollar award worthy. Well find out on Super Bowl eve.___AP Pro Football Writers Arnie Stapleton and Rob Maaddi, and Sports Writers Kristie Rieken, Noah Trister, Will Graves, John Wawrow, David Ginsburg, Genaro Armas, Schuyler Dixon and Tim Booth contributed to this story.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Clearance NHL Jerseys .com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown. Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic . When the Dallas Mavericks needed to stop a Golden State rally in the fourth quarter, they looked for defensive help from the rookie point guard playing in just his sixth game. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/. Listen to the Rangers vs. Kings live on TSN Radio starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. You can also stream the post-game press conferences live on TSN. Wholesale NHL Jerseys China . Kerr said he had dinner with Jackson, his former coach with Chicago and the new Knicks team president, on Friday night and they talked again Saturday. Kerr is in New York to work the game between the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors for TNT. Custom NHL Jerseys . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hi Kerry,Love the column and of course the hair! We here in Orange County obviously have a great admiration for Teemu Selanne and have been fortunate to see him play for the last many years and win a championship. With his impending retirement, do you have any good or funny stories you can share with the fans? We know the kind of player he is and what a nice guy he is off the ice, but few of us know what kind of person he is on the ice. Thanks for doing this column, always a great read. Chris from Laguna Niguel Chris:I can tell you first hand that Teemu Selanne is as nice a guy on the ice as he is off of it. While we didnt always agree (as you might expect) I never heard a curse word or disrespectful comment come out of the mouth of the "Finnish Flash"; either directed at me or anyone else. From the very first game that I saw Teemu as a rookie with the Winnipeg Jets, I knew this guy was a very special talent. The rest of the hockey world would quickly recognize just how skilled Teemu was while on his way to scoring 76 goals and winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in the 1992-93 season. (Teemus record remains intact for most goals for a rookie in the NHL.) Teemu always seemed to exude a "boyish" smile when he was on the ice; a signal to me as how much he loved to play the game. I also witnessed acts of kindness that he demonstrated off the ice to arena and parking attendants in the Honda Centre and other NHL cities. An off-ice official of the Calgary Flames once shared with me that Selanne was such a friendly and classy superstar that he could make people around him feel better about themselves; even in their relative insignificance! As nice a guy as Teemu is, I also saw a fierce competitiveness and desire to win. Like all champions he hated losing; but unlike some, Teemu did so with class and grace. The worst I ever got from him at the end of a close loss (when he thought I was less than perfect in my performance) was a saddened look of disappointment and perhaps a slight shake of his head as he exited the ice. If the game was on the line Selanne wanted the puck on his stick. He had pull-away speed and a rifle of a shot that made him a game changer. Teemu always made playyers around him better because he could finish the play.dddddddddddd We recently witnessed Selannes deep national pride as captain of the Finnish Olympic team in Sochi. The 43-year-old played with speed, youthful energy and determination in leading his team to a bronze medal for his home country. I first encountered that Finnish pride in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, an NHL-sponsored event as a prelude to the 98 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. I worked a game in Helsinki (Sweden vs. Finland) where the fan atmosphere was more like a U.S. college football game than a hockey game and was like nothing I had ever experienced before. An hour prior to game time fans jammed into the arena end zone, many with their shirt off and face and body painted in Finnish blue. They chanted and sang unceasingly. It also appeared that they consumed a considerable amount of alcohol. Drums were beaten and horns blew. The crowd never sat down in the end zone seats. Instead they stood throughout the whole game shoulder to shoulder and cheered for Teemu Selanne and their other heroes. They were a happy crowd; very loud but not boisterous or unruly. They were having fun watching the game they loved and went wild when Finland won the game. Back in the Officials dressing room I had showered and dressed as the party continued inside the arena. The dressing room door opened and a guy I thought to be Teemu Selanne said, "Hey Kerry do you have any beer in your room?" I thought it to be very unusual but invited Teemu in and told him to help himself. He sat down and we were having a great visit over a few beers when finally Teemu admitted that he really wasnt Teemu Selanne at all but his twin brother Paavo! Paavo Selanne was a real character and said that his brother Teemu told him there is always beer in the refs room. The next time I saw Teemu and told him of the case of mistaken identity his smile changed to a belly laugh over the joke his brother played on us. They are a fun-loving family. Congratulations to Teemu and his family on a tremendous NHL and international career. There is no doubt he will eventually enter the Hockey Hall of Fame. It couldnt happen to a more deserving candidate and nicer guy. When that day happens maybe I will be lucky enough to sit down and enjoy a beer with Teemu and his twin brother Paavo in celebration of this great players career. ' ' '