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MOSCOW -- Russian doping whistleblower Yulia Stepanova could race at next weeks European championships as the first exemption from Russias doping ban if an imminent IAAF ruling goes her way.Stepanova was one of the worlds top 800-meter runners before she and her husband Vitaly Stepanov, a drug-testing official, provided evidence to the World Anti-Doping Agency that doping was systematic in Russian track and field, with officials helping to cover it up.Stepanova, who had provided undercover footage of athletes and officials apparently admitting their use of banned substances, left Russia in 2014, saying she feared for her safety.With Russia is still banned from Olympic track and field events ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Games because of its doping record, track and fields governing body is preparing to rule on whether to exempt some Russians from the ban, including Stepanova.The International Association of Athletics Federations says it will rule on the first set of names by the end of this week, opening the door for Stepanova to race at the European championships in Amsterdam next week.European Athletics is ready to accept her late entry, and we are awaiting further instruction from the IAAF Doping Review Board that has been put in place to discuss the eligibility of athletes requests, European Athletics said in a statement.The IAAF can allow individual Russians to compete as neutral athletes if they can show they have been regularly tested by a reliable agency. The measure is aimed largely at Russians who have been based abroad and few athletes are likely to be eligible, though U.S.-based long jumper Daria Klishina, a two-time European indoor champion, is likely to be one.The deadline to apply is July 4 and a decision on all claims will be made by July 18. The Olympic track and field competitions start August 12.While the IAAF refused to say how many Russians had applied, Russian officials have said that around 10 applications have already been sent and as many as 67 athletes could apply in total.It is not yet clear how the measure would work for Rio, since the International Olympic Committee has refused to accept the neutral athlete designation and insists any Russians allowed to compete must do so under the Russian flag.The Russian Olympic Committee is preparing an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to overturn the ban on its team.Ryan Callahan Lightning Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. Steven Stamkos Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. http://www.lightninghockeystore.us/Alex-Killorn-Jersey/ . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Vincent Lecavalier Lightning Jersey . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Ryan McDonagh Jersey . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw.With six weeks of the season in the books, NFL Nation reporters assess the quarterbacks for all 32 teams based on each teams expectations heading into the season. Teams are sorted below from A-plus to F.?Grade: A-plusAtlanta FalconsMatt Ryan was under fire coming into this season after throwing 16 interceptions and losing five fumbles during last years 8-8, playoff-less season. Folks talked about how there was no way he would work in offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahans scheme. Well, Ryans performance through the first six games answered any doubts. He leads the league with 2,075 passing yards while completing 68.1 percent of his passes. Ryan has 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Hes making plays with his feet and brushing off big hits as if they never happened. Not to mention hes spreading the ball around despite having the best wide receiver on the planet in Julio Jones. One thing comes to mind to recognize Ryans performance thus far: MVP. -- Vaughn McClureMinnesota VikingsThe Vikings starting quarterback was acquired eight days before the start of the regular season. He started the teams home opener on a Sunday night, 15 days after he began a crash course in the playbook following his arrival in Minnesota. He leads the league with a 70.4 completion percentage, hasnt committed a turnover, has posted a 109.7 passer rating, and is leading the leagues only undefeated team into a matchup on Sunday against Philadelphia, the club that traded him on Sept. 3. The grade for Sam Bradford should be fairly obvious. -- Ben GoesslingNew England PatriotsCoach Bill Belichick will probably penalize me 5 yards for being an easy grader, but when Tom Brady returns from a four-game suspension and doesnt miss a beat ... and No. 2 man Jimmy Garoppolo answers the high-pressure challenge in the first six quarters of the season ... and No. 3 rookie Jacoby Brissett rises up in a prime-time moment when hes called upon way before hes ready, thats a pretty good 1-2-3 punch. The Patriots still havent thrown an interception this season, so while were at it, Im also going to throw a little extra credit to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and assistant quarterbacks?coach Jerry Schuplinski for their work. -- Mike ReissGrade: ADallas CowboysI dont know how Dak Prescott gets any grade other than an A. He has surpassed expectations for any fourth-round pick. Remember, he opened training camp as the No. 3 quarterback and was forced to start after injuries to Tony Romo and Kellen Moore. He has seven touchdown passes and just one interception, but he has fumbled three times in the last two games. The Cowboys have not said how they will resolve the quarterback situation once Romo is 100 percent ready, but Prescott has forced them into making a decision, which didnt seem possible when the season started. -- Todd ArcherGrade: A-minusDetroit LionsThe Lions have to be happy with what theyve gotten out of Matthew Stafford this season. Hes basically continued on the same trajectory he enjoyed at the end of 2015, when he put up numbers that were favorable compared to many of the leagues star signal-callers. He has continued that trend over the first six weeks of this season. Hes second in the league in completion percentage (68.9) and is on pace to have career highs in passer rating (106.0) and QBR (71.0). Of his four interceptions, at least two could be blamed on the pass-catcher. He hasnt been perfect -- he had a late interception against Tennessee that sealed the game for the Titans, plus the Chicago debacle along with the rest of Detroits offense -- but he has?been stellar overall. -- Michael RothsteinNew Orleans SaintsDrew Brees has continued to be spectacular in the Saints home games -- including his 465 yards and four touchdowns?in Sundays victory over the Panthers?in Week 6. Once again, the 37-year-old leads the NFL with 347 passing yards per game and 2.8 TD passes per game. The only drawback is that he hasnt been bringing that same show on the road. He is averaging just 235 yards in two road games this season, with three TDs and two interceptions. So Ill be a tough grader -- but I reserve the right to bump him up if he busts loose at Kansas City on Sunday. -- Mike TriplettOakland RaidersBefore Sundays semi-pratfall against the Chiefs, Derek Carrs name was being bandied about as a potential MVP candidate. Carr is in his third NFL season, and the game has slowed down for him; the results have been fortuitous for the Raiders. Still the gunslinger, though, Carr had a couple of bad mistakes against Kansas City, throwing an ill-advised jump ball that was picked off and losing a fumble on a scramble up the gut. But if a game is close and Oakland needs to drive the length of the field to get a score, confidence is high in the streets of Silver and Blackdom that Carr will get the job done. Which is why he gets an A-minus through six games and a 4-2 start, because the offense is not always going to be able to save a porous defense. -- Paul GutierrezSan Diego ChargersSame as it ever was -- Philip Rivers is having another productive season for the Chargers. Hes fourth in the league in passer rating (105.9), ninth in passing yards (1,647) and tied for fifth in passing touchdowns (12). Rivers recently eclipsed Dan Fouts as the franchises all-time passing leader with 43,094 career passing yards. Rivers is as reliable as the sun rising in the east, not missing a start in a decade. -- Eric D. WilliamsGrade: B-plusCincinnati BengalsAndy Dalton has played very well, considering the circumstances. He lost two of his top receivers to free agency, and his best red zone threat -- tight end?Tyler Eifert?-- hasnt played a game due to injury. Meanwhile, the team is trying to break in a new right tackle and has given up 19 sacks. Dalton is third in the NFL in yards (1,567) and has thrown only two interceptions. Hes certainly not the reason the team is 2-4. While he hasnt been perfect, he has been playing as well as he can given all the other factors that have gone badly. The Bengals need to find a way to get in the end zone, however, as Dalton has thrown only six touchdowns.?-- Katherine TerrellPhiladelphia EaglesRookie Carson Wentz has blown expectations out of the water. No. 2 overall pick or not, many forecast a rather large learning curve since he was making the jump from North Dakota State to the pros. But he has proven adept at reading defenses, and he possesses the physical tools to go along with the smarts. Wentz is coming off his rockiest outing of the year, as he completed just 50 percent of his throws against Washington. But he has thrown seven touchdowns to one interception and has an 80 percent completion rate against the blitz, according to ESPN Stats & Information. -- Tim McManusPittsburgh SteelersBefore his meniscus injury in Week 6, Ben Roethlisberger was fueling the Steelers vertical passing game and was on pace for the highest touchdown total of his career, with 16 passing scores through six games. Turnovers still plague Big Ben at times. Hes averaging one interception per game, an extension of last season. But his big-play ability usually offsets the picks. His 280 passing yards per game are impressive, but thats nearly 50 yards short of last years average. Overall, Roethlisberger has?been very good, but he can be better. -- Jeremy FowlerGrade: BBuffalo BillsTyrod Taylor is doing one thing exceptionally well for the Bills: protecting the football. Taylor has thrown only two interceptions this season and has a 4-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, tied for fifth-best in the NFL. He also leads the league among quarterbacks with 236 rushing yards. Taylor hasnt wowed as a passer, ranking 21st in completion percentage and 26th in yards per pass attempt. But as long as the Bills are running the ball well and playing from ahead, Taylor is doing exactly what the Bills need him to do. -- Mike RodakDenver BroncosTrevor Siemian has missed a game and a half with a left shoulder injury -- rookie first-round pick Paxton Lynch filled in -- but the team is 4-1 in Siemians starts, and he had a 312-yard passing game against the Bengals with four touchdowns. He has been efficient and cool in late-game situations. The Broncos have struggled to run the ball over the last four games, so he has largely been in dink-and-dunk mode of late. He needs to avoid hits at times and find a way to be more productive early in games. But hes the best option behind center, and he won the job by a wide margin in the preseason. His teammates believe in his confidence and comfort with the playbook. -- Jeff LegwoldIndianapolis ColtsAndrew Luck has completed 64.1 percent of his pass attempts so far this season,?which is a career high. He also has a career-high QBR of 71. The issue for Luck -- outside of the Colts 2-4 record --?is that he has committed six turnovers in six games: four interceptions and two fumbles lost. Plus, the offensive line cant be blamed for all 23 times he has been sacked this season. Combine all those factors, including the losing record?-- though he hes far from the person to blame --?and Lucks grade so far this season is a B. -- Mike WellsSeattle SeahawksRussell Wilson deserves a ton of credit for battling through a right high ankle sprain and a sprained MCL in his left knee through the Seahawks first five games of the season. He rehabbed around the clock, adjusted his game to deal with less mobility, and still has never missed a start in his career. From a numbers perspective, Wilson is not quite where he was last season. Hes 12th in passer rating, 17th in QBR and 12th in yards per dropback. He has run 21 times for only 35 yards. But again, Wilson has been playing through injuries. Wilson has always been better in the second half of the year, and all signs indicate that should be the case again this season. -- Sheil KapadiaGrade: C-plusArizona CardinalsCompared to last season, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has looked like a completely different player. Hes not making the deep throws he made last yeear, and hes bouncing balls in front of receivers.dddddddddddd Palmer is ranked in the bottom half of nearly every major statistical category, including 21st in QBR, 24th in passer rating and 25th in completion percentage. He just hasnt looked like the Palmer of 2015, who received an MVP vote. -- Josh WeinfussCarolina PanthersExpectations couldnt have been higher for Cam Newton coming off an MVP season, and given the return of his favorite wide receiver, Kelvin Benjamin. But Newton has gotten off to an inconsistent start. He already has six interceptions after having 10 all of last season. Hes holding onto the ball in the pocket too long and taking costly sacks. Hes getting off to slow starts, keeping pressure on a defense that has struggled. He also missed a game with a concussion. Not that Newton hasnt been spectacular in moments. The second half of his MVP season, in which he was spectacular seemingly every game, just hasnt carried over. -- David NewtonTennessee TitansMarcus Mariota turned the ball over seven times in the Titans first four games and was a big reason for a 1-3 start. He has been far better in the last two games, lifting his touchdown-to-interception ratio to 10-to-6 and his passer rating to 88.3 as he has run more and thrown better out of play-action. The arrow is now up, but he needs to maintain better ball security and help the Titans break a nine-game losing streak against the Colts on Sunday. -- Paul KuharskyWashington RedskinsKirk Cousins is coming off a strong outing -- save for one disastrous decision that was returned for a touchdown. Thats been the problem this season. Cousins has some excellent moments every game, which is why he has thrown for 1,695 yards (sixth in the NFL) and nine touchdowns. But he has also thrown six interceptions, some of which were of the head-scratching variety. One occurred in the end zone late in a Week 2 loss to Dallas. Until last week, Cousins was missing too many targets downfield, and he has struggled in the red zone, ranking 25th in total QBR at 26.1. The good thing for Washington is that he has thrown eight touchdown passes and three interceptions in their four-game win streak. But theres plenty of room for more growth. -- John KeimGrade: CChicago BearsExpectations for Jay Cutler were reasonably high for 2016. After all, Cutler posted a career-best 92.3 quarterback rating last year under former offensive coordinator Adam Gase. The Bears said they wanted to keep Cutler in the same system with current coordinator Dowell Loggains. In seven quarters of play, however, Cutler threw two interceptions and lost one fumble, and then he suffered a right thumb injury. Cutlers replacement, Brian Hoyer, has six touchdown passes and zero interceptions in 189 attempts (100.8 rating), but Chicago is 32nd in points scored (16.8) for the season. -- Jeff DickersonCleveland BrownsWhen is the Browns quarterback situation ever stable? They have started three different quarterbacks and used five in the seasons first six games. The Robert Griffin III experiment was going nowhere when he was hurt. Josh McCown played well but broke a collarbone. Now rookie?third-round pick Cody Kessler has stepped in. Kessler has earned a lot of respect and admiration for the way he is approaching his job. Hes the reason this grade is not a total failure, even though Cleveland is 0-6. -- Pat McManamonGreen Bay PackersNo. 20?in passer rating (88.4). No. 26 in completion percentage (60.2)?and?yards per attempt (6.5). Tied for No. 14?in touchdown-to-interception ratio (2.5-to-1). How is it possible these numbers belong to Aaron Rodgers??Sure, Rodgers ranks eighth in touchdown passes (10) and has?played one fewer game than most of the leaders, but by every measure -- including the eye test -- the two-time NFL MVP hasnt come close to the standard hes set. He hasnt had a 300-yard passing game since Week 8 of last season, and hes 8-8 in his last 16 regular-season starts. -- Rob DemovskyHouston TexansThe Texans hope the Brock Osweiler they saw at the end of Sundays game against the Colts is the one who shows up the rest of the season. For most of the season, Osweiler has been inconsistent, inaccurate and prone to turnovers. But Osweiler has flashed his potential at times, and coach Bill OBrien has said all season that his quarterback is playing well and comes into games well-prepared. So though Osweiler has thrown eight interceptions in six games, the Texans are 4-2, and that has to count for something. -- Sarah BarshopTampa Bay BuccaneersThough Jameis Winstons numbers (nine touchdown passes, eight interceptions) dont show it -- theres not much of a difference between the first five weeks of last season and this season -- he has shown improvement. The problem for him has been that he has averaged a whopping 44 passing attempts per game so far -- entirely too much for a second-year quarterback. Not having a consistent ground game in Weeks 2-4 hurt him significantly, and he was simply trying to do too much. Less really is more at this stage in the game, although coach Dirk Koetter believes Winston will use these first few games as a springboard to improving and getting better and better as the season goes on. -- Jenna LaineGrade: C-minusBaltimore RavensJoe Flacco has been average, much like the talent around him. He has been pressured a league-high 52 times behind a banged-up offensive line. His receivers have dropped 13 passes, tied for second-most in the NFL. Still, in Baltimores three-game losing streak, Flacco has had the ball in his hands late in games and has failed to deliver the last-minute winning drive. Hes the leagues 27th-rated passer, with one more touchdown (five) than interceptions (four). Thats not going to cut it for the fourth-highest-paid quarterback in the league.?-- Jamison HensleyLos Angeles RamsCase Keenum has the NFLs second-lowest Total QBR, with a mark of 45.8 that is better than only the Dolphins Ryan Tannehill. But Keenum has actually played well over the last two weeks, ranking second in the NFL in completion percentage (76.2) and fifth in passing yards (592). The problem has been late turnovers, specifically a pick-six against the Bills and an interception on the final drive against the Lions. He wont single-handedly win games with his arm, but his recent production is enough to hold off No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff. For now. -- Alden GonzalezNew York GiantsIt took Eli Manning six weeks to have his first big game of the season, and even that was really only a good half. It has been a real struggle for the Giants quarterback early this year. He has been jumpy and has felt the pressure, even when its not there. His seven touchdown passes through six games are tied for the fewest since his rookie season. It hasnt been a great start for Manning. -- Jordan RaananGrade: D-plusKansas City ChiefsIm grading on the curve, and Alex Smith hasnt lived up to the expectations that this should be his best season with the Chiefs. Smith hasnt been helped by the playcalling. Until Sundays win against the Raiders, the Chiefs had been far too dependent on the pass. To a large extent, Smith still hasnt delivered. The key stat for a team that has struggled?to score points: Smith is 29th in percentage of his passes that go for touchdowns, at 2.6. Running has been a big part of Smiths game, but opponents are taking away his running lanes. Smith has just 15 rushing yards. -- Adam TeicherMiami DolphinsRyan Tannehill hasnt turned the corner as quickly as the Dolphins?hoped after six games under new coach Adam Gase. Tannehill has more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (six), and his pocket presence continues to be an issue. Tannehill, however, looked solid in a couple games in when he has?had quality pass protection and a strong running game. Tannehill isnt the kind of quarterback to carry a team. He must manage the game and have everything around him clicking for the Dolphins to win consistently. -- James WalkerGrade: DJacksonville JaguarsBlake Bortles set franchise records in passing yards and passing touchdowns last season, so expectations were high for his third season. He hasnt met them. While his completion percentage tops 60 for the first time, Bortles has turned the ball over nine times in five games and appears to have regressed mechanically. His windup is longer and lower, and that is costing him precious time when delivering the ball. He also had the ball knocked out of his hand when he was carrying it too low on a scramble inside the pocket. The lack of a run game hasnt helped him, either. The Jaguars have averaged only 71.0 yards per game, last in the NFL. Defenses also are taking away wide receiver Allen Robinson deep, which is something the offense thrived on last season, and Bortles has been unable to consistently move the ball. -- Mike DiRoccoGrade: FNew York JetsAfter a career year, Ryan Fitzpatrick has regressed and could be on the verge of losing his job to Geno Smith. The Jets have lost four straight, and Fitzpatrick has only two touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in that span. It hasnt been entirely his fault, for sure, but he hasnt responded well to the higher expectations that came from his career year and the $12 million contract that followed. -- Rich CiminiSan Francisco 49ersFor the first five games of the season, Blaine Gabbert mostly played down to expectations. Colin Kaepernick has made only one start, and though he offered some good things, the reality is he wasnt much better than Gabbert in terms of overall production. Between Gabbert and Kaepernick, Niners quarterbacks are last in the league in passing yards and completion percentage and 31st in yards per attempt and passer rating. Although they have had some success running the ball, when you are at or near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every major passing category, it doesnt take much work to come up with a grade. -- Nick Wagoner ' ' '