albot close in and defenceman Andre Benoit on a br

NASHVILLE -- Ryan Fitzpatrick likes how he looks with a bushy beard, it makes him feel comfortable. Now, about to make his first start in Tennessee with Jake Locker sidelined with a sprained hip, Fitzpatrick is a little upset with himself for shaving his face clean a month ago. His current beard isnt nearly as impressive, and Fitzpatrick needs any edge he can get. "Its never easy I think to step in from a backup role to the starter kind of mid-stream I guess," Fitzpatrick said Wednesday. "I got to go in there and make these three days very productive. ... Being 3-1 with our defence playing great, I think with the confidence just in general that our team is playing with, this is a fun situation to step into." The Titans signed Fitzpatrick to a two-year contract in March wanting the veteran in his ninth season to mentor and back up Jake Locker. Now Locker is out a few weeks with a sprained right hip and knee, its time for Fitzpatrick to step in and try to keep Tennessees momentum going until Locker returns. Fitzpatrick said his role now is different than a week ago. He spent plenty of time talking with receivers during practice Wednesday in what he called side conversations. He also threw to them during defensive drills with some extra work after practice "With Jake now being injured, Ive got to go out and let them know what I expect," Fitzpatrick said. "If youre not on the same page, thats what leads to some of the miscommunication and things that cant happen." Titans coach Mike Munchak said its an adjustment for everybody with Fitzpatrick. "Hes been through it before," Munchak said. "Hes been in the league a long time, so were hoping he can make this adjustment rather quickly because we need that on Sunday." The Titans have plenty of confidence in Fitzpatrick because they saw how he nearly beat them last year in Buffalo where he started 32 games over the previous two seasons. Fitzpatrick had 80 touchdowns and 64 interceptions in 55 games with the Bills. He also set Bills records for the longest completion with a 98-yard TD pass and longest TD rushing by a quarterback with a 31-yarder both in 2009. The Bills cut Fitzpatrick in March to escape the six-year, $59 million deal he signed in October 2011. The Titans scooped him up as a cheaper alternative to back up Locker. Now Fitzpatrick makes his first start Sunday against Kansas City (4-0). Chiefs coach Andy Reid has seen plenty of Fitzpatrick from his time coaching in Philadelphia where he said the quarterback got after his Eagles pretty good. "So Im well aware of him, and have a ton of respect for him, and our team here knows him," Reid said. "They played against him in the past. Everyone knows how capable he is and well prepare ourselves to play a heck of a quarterback and a heck of an offence." Fitzpatrick is 4-1 against the Chiefs. Munchak has said they likely will not call run plays like they did for Locker, who is averaging 6.5 yards a carry this season. Fitzpatrick said hes never been a real speedster himself. "Usually Im running out of fear because those guys are big," Fitzpatrick said. Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson isnt buying that talk. He called the Harvard graduate a smart quarterback who improvises with his legs just like all the other running quarterbacks. "Hes been in the league for a while," Johnson said. "He knows when you make a mistake, he can capitalize off it. This isnt a regular, backup-type quarterback game for us. He can still run all their plays." Notes: Locker spoke to reporters Wednesday, walking very stiff and with a neoprene sleeve covering his right leg. He said the injury was pain like hed never felt before and with the hip joint so big he thought about all the worst possibilities. Locker shared no timetable for his return, saying only that he will be working hard to get back as soon as possible. ... Munchak said the Titans will promote Rusty Smith off the practice squad to back up Fitzpatrick at quarterback. ... WR Kenny Britt returned to practice. RB Shonn Greene (right knee) and DT Sammie Hill (right ankle) worked inside with trainers. DE Ropati Pitoitua (shoulder) did not practice. RT David Stewart (right leg) got the day off. Air Max 90 Descuento . Peko, a fourth-round pick in 2006, started all 16 games and a playoff loss to San Diego last season. He was second on the line with 72 tackles and had a career-high three sacks. Air Max 90 Baratas . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. http://www.airmax90baratas.es/ . -- Coyotes coach Dave Tippett thinks of one thing when he watches Eastern Conference teams struggle against Western opponents before they get to Phoenix: His team must keep pace. Zapatillas Air Max 90 Baratas .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to complete a sweep of the Washington Capitals when the clubs cap a quick home-and-home series Tuesday night in the Steel City. Air Max 90 Baratas Outlet . Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their first home game since Gwynn died of cancer Monday.DENVER -- Antoine Vermette made his 700th game special. Vermette ended up a goal short of his second career hat trick, Thomas Greiss stopped 29 shots in an emergency start and the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Tuesday night. Jordan Szwarz also had a goal for the Coyotes, who won for just the second time in five games. Phoenix has struggled of late, going 3-5-2 in its past 10 games to slip to ninth in the Western Conference. Tuesdays win pulled the Coyotes within a point of Colorado. Vermette outscored the Avalanche on his own with two goals in a span of 7 minutes, 2 seconds to mark his milestone game. "Good timing," he said of his two goals. "If it happens this way, Ill take it." Patrick Bordeleau scored his fourth goal of the season and goalie Semyon Varlamov had 22 saves for the Avalanche, who have lost three of their past four. Despite a strong start to the season, Colorado is eighth in the Western Conference and has struggled to score goals lately. The Avalanche have just 15 in their past eight games. "We are going to have to find better ways to score goals," coach Patrick Roy said. "We are going to have to drive that net a little more. We are going to spend more time in front and might have to take more good shots. It might have to be ugly goals before the confidence comes back." After a scoreless first half of the game, the goals came quickly. Vermette got the first one when he scored on a give-and-go with defenceman Keith Yandle at 8:31 of the second period. "These guys make some great plays," Vermette said. "Yands on the first goal, great pass, good feed on his backhand." Szwarz made it 2-0 a little more than three minutes later when he scored on Jeff Halperns rebound. Colorado got back in the game briefly with a little help from the Coyotes. Bordeleau charged at defenceman Michael Stone, whose pass from behind the net clipped off Bordeleau and hit the back of Greiss skate and into the net. "I just left it," Greiss said. "I didnt see the other guy coming from the other side, but it just bounced off my skaate and went in.dddddddddddd" It was the only blemish for Greiss, who woke up Tuesday not expecting to play but was told he would start when Mike Smith became ill in the morning. Greiss responded with another solid performance against Colorado, and is 4-0 with a shutout against the Avalanche. "(Smith) was struggling this morning with illness and just felt like there was no use putting him in if hes not 100 per cent," coach Dave Tippett said. "Greiss went and played a great game for us." His teammates helped him out by restoring the two-goal lead. After Bordeleau cut the lead in half, Vermette quickly responded with his ninth goal when he scored off Oliver Ekman-Larssons rebound 1:05 later. "That was one you hate to give up, kind of a fluky one, but I like the way our guys stayed with it," Tippett said. Colorado had opportunities to take the early lead, but Greiss was sharp. He stopped centres Paul Stastny and Maxime Talbot close in and defenceman Andre Benoit on a breakaway. "We arent scoring enough goals," Stastny said. "Our guys have to do more to put goals on the board. Plain and simple." The Avalanche couldnt mount much of a rally early in the third. They had just five shots in the first 13 minutes of the period before putting pressure on Greiss. Varlamov came off for an extra skater in the final minute, but Colorado managed just one more shot. "Their goalie made some great saves" Roy said. "I think we need a bit of confidence offensively. The chances are there, its just a matter of time before they go in. During that time were going to have to find other ways to score." Notes: Vermettes only hat trick was April 3, 2008, when he was playing for Ottawa. ... Coyotes RW Shane Doan (illness) missed his second straight game. ... Avalanche C Alex Tanguay had a setback in his return from a knee injury and will likely miss more time. He was expected to return this weekend, but a hip injury will keep him out longer. ... Phoenix D Zbynek Michalek returned to the lineup after a nine-game absence because of a lower-body injury. ' ' '