Offtopic/fun » and even he was only used sparingly.De

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Iowas 12-0 start last season led some to label the Hawkeyes a fluke. A blowout loss to Stanford in the Rose Bowl only seemed to confirm those suspicions.Iowa is intent on proving that its still a national contender and the Hawkeyes should have a team capable of doing so.Iowa is a favorite to repeat as Big Ten West division champions. The Hawkeyes return 13 starters from last year, when they finished 8-0 in the West and fell inches shy of a playoff berth.Quarterback C.J. Beathard had a strong first season as the starter despite a litany of injuries. If Beathard can stay healthy, a run at Big Ten Player of the Year isnt out of consideration. Iowas defense, which let up just 20.4 points per game, will be led by Thorpe Award-winning cornerback Desmond King.Basically since 1999, when we got here, our goal has been the same, to be Big Ten champions, said coach Kirk Ferentz, who is entering his 18th season with the Hawkeyes. I think what it comes down to is, all you can ask for is opportunity. We feel like we do have a solid foundation built right now.SEASON OPENERThe Hawkeyes shouldnt have too much trouble when they host Miami of Ohio on Sept. 3. The Red Hawks went just 3-9 in 2015 and were pounded at Wisconsin 58-0. Miami averaged a paltry 17.9 points per game last season while giving up 32. Iowa dominated Illinois State in last years opener, the first sign that perhaps the Hawkeyes were in for a special season.SENSATIONAL C.J.Beathard emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten in 2015 despite injuries that hampered his mobility. Now healthy and a senior, Beathard appears poised to put together one of the best seasons an Iowa quarterback has ever had under Ferentz. Beathard threw for 2,809 yards with 17 touchdowns and just five picks a year ago, and Ferentz recently compared him to Brad Banks, who was second in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2002. Theres just something about him, Ferentz said.BACK-TO-BACK?Iowas powerful rushing attack paved the way for its offense last season, but star running back Jordan Canzeri has moved on. The Hawkeyes should be fine, however, if they lean on big back LeShun Daniels Jr. and speedster Akrum Wadley. Daniels and Wadley each rushed for over 190 yards in a single game in 2015 and appear ready to play bigger roles.KEY GAMESIowas season will likely come down to a three-game stretch starting in late October, with home games against Wisconsin and Michigan wrapped around a road trip to Penn State. Iowa fans know better than to sleep on North Dakota States trip to Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 17. The Hawkeyes will be coming off its rivalry game with Iowa State, and the Bison are the five-time defending FCS champions.PREDICTIONIowa goes 11-1 and wins the West only to fall to Michigan State in a rematch of the Big Ten title game. Of course, Iowa could always go 8-5 -- like it did in 2010, the last time the Hawkeyes entered a season with such high expectations.---This story has been corrected to show in last paragraph that Iowa played Michigan State in the Big Ten title game.---Follow Luke Meredith on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LukeMeredithAPNew York Mets Gear . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. New York Mets Store . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/ .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Cheap Mets Jerseys . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. Fake Mets Jerseys . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace.Was it really as long as 12 years ago when a slim, slightly-built Portuguese man arrived in west London amid a blaze of hype and fanfare?This was no ordinary manager, however, and on that day - Wednesday, June 2, 2004 - he was about to tell the assembled expectant media as such with a claim which would not only go down in the annals of football history, but could have equally come back to bite him on the behind.Chelsea had been in the Premier League shadows of London rivals Arsenal, who in 2003/4 had just delivered an incredible unbeaten season and a third Premier League title under Arsene Wenger with their Invincibles side. Neutrals may have pointed to that theme continuing, but furnished with the riches of owner Roman Abramovich, the newly-appointed Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho knew different. Please dont call me arrogant, but Im European champion and I think Im a special one. Jose Mourinho Please dont call me arrogant, but Im European champion and I think Im a special one, said Mourinho, before adding: We have top players and, sorry if Im arrogant, we have a top manager. Mourinho took over from Claudio Ranieri, who had been at Stamford Bridge for four years. At the time, the well-liked Italian professed that his replacement would struggle to make the transition from the Portuguese League to the Premier League. Mourinhos reply was typical of the man.I heard that and I suggest if one of you is Mr Ranieris friend or has his number, you should call him and explain to him that for a team to win the European Cup, it has to beat many teams from many countries. I did not win the cup playing against 20 Portuguese teams. Heres a look at some of Mourinhos funniest moments in the Premier League I played and beat a team from his own country, Italy, from your country and the one he was working in, England. And to win the UEFA Cup, that was the same kind of thing.It was all breathtaking stuff, pure box office, and would continue to be so for both his spells in charge at Stamford Bridge - from 2004 to 2007, and from 2013 to 2015. Mourinho went on to back up his claims by guiding Chelsea to three Premier League titles, the FA Cup in the 2006/07 season and three League Cup wins.Humility is perhaps something one doesnt often attribute to Mourinho, but when asked about his initial Premier League ambitions 12 years ago as he began his career at Chelsea, he replied: The biggest ambition I have is to win the first Premiership match on August 14. When pushed to expand on that theme, he added: The second ambition is to win the second Premiership match on August 21 and we will keep going like this.With earlier Champions League successes at Porto and then later at Inter, it was that prospect of winning pedigree in the hotseat which saw Manchester United decide to ditch Louis van Gaal two years into his three-year contract. Mourinho has replaced Louis van Gaal in the Manchester United dugout Despite seeing their side see off Crystal Palace to win the FA Cup, United vice-chairman Ed Woodward and the Red Devils fans were in the main forced to witness dire football under Van Gaal. All parties at United are now eager to see the Special One bring his special charms to Old Trafford.Combining his two spells in England, Mourinho has won 140 of 212 Premier League games, a win percentage of 66%, the highest in Premier League history and a stat which United hope will continue.Loved and loathed in equal measure, his record of a total of 22 trophies shows Mourinho is nevertheless a serial winner. Heres a look at what Mourinho has had to say about Manchester United in the past So the sacking by Chelsea last December was a particularly bitter pill for Mourinho to have swallowed.dddddddddddd When Mourinho was sacked last December, he left Chelsea just one point above the relegation zone, having lost nine of their first 16 Premier League games.Despite all the silverware, Jamie Carragher would reason on Sky Sports following the Blues 2015 Champions League last-16 exit to Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge that Mourinhos teams will be respected for the titles they win, but theyll never be loved.Following Chelseas 2-1 Premier League loss at Leicester last December, Mourinho was clearly not happy, as Eden Hazard indicated his hip injury would not allow him to continue. The former Chelsea player of the season, Hazard was a shadow of himself in his second season under Mourinho, and only rediscovered his form once the latter had departed. Mourinho on the touchline at Leicesters King Power Stadium in the final game of his second spell in charge of Chelsea in December 2015 Results improved markedly under caretaker coach Guus Hiddink as Chelsea steered well clear of the drop zone, using the same players as under Mourinho, thus pointing to a loss of team spirit.Speaking on June 2, 2004, Mourinho stressed the importance of spirit, which was evident when Chelsea were lifting silverware, but noticeably absent in his final days as Chelsea manager.Im a great defender of team spirit and team work and the first thing I have to promise to my new players is that I will look at them all with the same eyes, he said.I dont want special relations with one of them. I hate to speak about individuals. Players dont win you trophies - teams win trophies, squads win trophies.I cannot say I love this player, but generally I love the players who love to win. Not only the ones that love to win in 90 minutes but love to win every day, in every training session and in all of their lives. Former Chelsea and Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon believes Mourinho is the perfect replacement for Louis van Gaal The United players will be aware that Mourinho has shown he only selects players who demonstrate a continuous work ethic, both with and without the ball.His willingness to castigate and then discard Joe Cole for a perceived unwillingness to track back and defend was echoed when Mourinho sold Blues favourite Juan Mata for £37.1m to United. The two are therefore likely to have only a brief working relationship when Mourinho and Mata are reunited at Old Trafford.It may have previously been unthinkable to even imagine Mourinho at United, but following Fergusons retirement in 2013 and the short but unpopular 10-month stint of David Moyes in 2013/14, followed by the dull, dour Van Gaal style, Mourinho will be perceived as a breath of fresh air, and that is what United are desperate for.There will be no Champions League football for Mourinho, not next season anyway, but he will be given a massive war chest to get new players. Heavily linked in the British press with a move for Chelseas Willian and reportedly desperate to finally land Evertons John Stones, they may be the first of many new arrivals at Old Trafford. Mourinho is reportedly keen on bringing Chelsea forward Willian with him to Old Trafford However, a reluctance to blood youngsters has dogged Mourinho, and at Chelsea, only 20-year-old Ruben Loftus-Cheek emerged from the Blues academy - and even he was only used sparingly.Despite his perceived failings at United, Van Gaal gave young players a chance and we witnessed the explosive start of 18-year-old Marcus Rashford, with 19-year-old Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, 18-year-old Tomothy Fosu-Mensah, 21-year-old Patrick McNair and 23-year-old Jesse Lingard forming a very able supporting cast. United fans will want to see their careers continue to develop at Old Trafford, and for them not to be loaned out elsewhere.The United job is one that Mourinho has long coveted, and the 20-times English champions were keen to get their main. The Special One will now look to prove that 12 years on from his dramatic Premier League arrival, and six months after his sacking by Chelsea, he has lost none of his winning allure.Also See:Mourinho and Man Utd timelineJoses biggest job?Mourinho in numbersMourinho and Man Utd in quotes ' ' '