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METAIRIE, La. --?New Orleans Saints veterans Drew Brees and Zach Strief expressed concerns Monday that the growing mistrust in the NFL league office has spilled over from the players to the fans and is hurting the leagues popularity.We feel like [the decline in TV ratings] is a direct result, said Brees, who has been an outspoken critic of the way NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has handled controversial issues such as the Bountygate investigation of the Saints, the Deflategate investigation of the Patriots, and the Ray Rice and Josh Brown domestic violence investigations.I know the players dont have any faith in the way that things are conducted within the front office in the NFL -- certainly when it comes to any type of investigation, when it comes to any type of commissioner discipline, Brees said. Its really kind of a joke at this point, unfortunately. And it shouldnt be like that.Brees and Strief spoke to ESPN after the Saints players had their annual in-season meeting with NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith. They agreed that the NFLs declining TV ratings could be a result of probably a buildup over the last few years.Its hard to separate em. It all works together, said Strief, who is in his final year as the Saints player representative. The NFL front office has seemed to have found a way to make everything somewhat contentious. It feels like theres this constant assault on the players, like were two entities. Its like they dont think they need us to do this.?And I think over time, as its constantly in the media and its constantly a public issue, I think the fans start to feel a similar way. Its just a constant contentious issue. When you take Brady and say it affected Tom Brady and it affected the New England Patriots, well the fans feel like theyre a part of that. It does affect them and it does affect their team and it does affect how you feel about the league, and it does turn you off.?At the end of the day, the relationship between the front office and the people who are not in the front office has probably never been worse.The Saints comments echoed those of Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who last week blamed Goodell and the NFL for making the NFL no fun anymore, including imposing strict rules against player celebrations.Brees mentioned the crackdown on player celebrations as another factor that may have turned fans off in recent years.Brees, who was an outspoken critic of Colin Kaepernicks decision to protest during the national anthem, also acknowledged that such protests could be a turn-off to fans.I think its just been a culmination of a lot of things over the last three years that unfortunately might have just turned people off or caused them to be less engaged, said Brees, a former player rep and a former member of the NFLPAs executive committee, who said his hope when he first joined the NFLPA was that there would be a partnership between the players and the league office to move the game forward.And unfortunately weve never felt that feeling reciprocated from their end, Brees said. In fact its very much been a, Were gonna do things behind closed doors. And you just kind of believe what we tell you. And unfortunately thats jumped up and bit us, and I named all those cases ... where you certainly cant trust anything thats coming out of the league office at this point.Listen, we as players want the best for this league. This league has so many great things to offer ... and for a long time the fans were really enjoying it. And now it seems like thats taken a hit. And it really feels like its been the culmination of the last few years and the way the business of football is being run in the front office. Thats the concerning part at this point for us. Fake Nike NFL Jerseys . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently the second highest scorers in the league but Wenger insists Walcott will add something extra to his team. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. https://www.chinajerseysnfl.us/ . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Nike NFL Jerseys Outlet . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. BALTIMORE -- As the Boston Red Sox steamroll their way toward the AL East crown, the Baltimore Orioles have turned their full attention toward the wild card race.David Price won his eighth straight decision, Hanley Ramirez homered and the Red Sox completed a four-game sweep of the sinking Orioles with a 5-3 victory Thursday night.Boston has won eight straight to open a 5 1/2-game lead over idle Toronto in the AL East. With 13 victories in their last 16 games, the Red Sox have a magic number of five to clinch the division crown.Thats the Red Sox, Ramirez said. They know that you can chase something, want something, and well go right after it. The good thing about this team is just everybodys together, and weve got everything.Baltimore fell seven games out and dropped below Detroit for the second AL wild card. It was the first time since 2002 that the Orioles were swept at home by Boston in a four-game series.I think youve got be realistic about where we are at this point after losing four, closer Zach Britton said. Its kind of time to light a fire under our butt because those other teams playing for the wild card are right there.Britton pitched the ninth for the Orioles, but never had a save opportunity during the four-game series.We should be playing better ball than what we showed, he said. But give them credit, too. When theyve got everything rolling theyre a tough team to beat -- just like we are. But right now everythings not really clicking for us.Price (17-8) gave up three runs and six hits in seven innings, walking two and striking out five. The Red Sox have won each of his last nine starts since Aug. 7.That was a big win, the left-hander said. Weve played good baseball, and this is the time of the year when you want your team to get on a roll the way we have, and thats what weve done.Koji Uehara worked the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel got three straight outs for his 29th save in 31 chances.Baltimore trailed 3-0 before Trey Mancini, starting his second major league game, hit a tying three-run homer in the third inning. It was his second home run in six at-bats.At the moment, its just an unbelievable experience, the rookie said. But on the flip side, after a loss like that, you dont really think about the home run so mmuch.ddddddddddddIt really doesnt matter.Boston used a walk, a wild pitch and Andrew Benintendis two-out RBI single off Vance Worley (2-2) to move back in front in the fifth.Ramirez hit his 29th homer in the seventh to make it 5-3 and send the Red Sox to their eighth straight win over an AL East foe, their longest such run since 1990.Orioles starter Chris Tillman gave up three runs, five hits and walked three in 1 2/3 innings, his shortest outing since June 2015.Boston got a first-inning RBI single from Ramirez and added two runs in the second, the last on a bases-loaded walk to David Ortiz that ended Tillmans outing.A here-we-go-again pall engulfed Orioles fans in the crowd of 26,788, but their spirits were rekindled when Mancini lined a 2-2 pitch into the seats in left field. The standing ovation continued until Price threw his next pitch.ORTIZ FAREWELLIn a ceremony before his final regular-season game in Baltimore, Ortiz was given the phone he smashed inside the visitors dugout during a tirade on July 27, 2013.Wearing a huge grin, Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones handed Ortiz the shattered phone, which was mounted on a wooden frame.Ortiz also received a $10,000 check, made out to a charity in his name. He took the check to the dugout but left the phone on the field.TRAINERS ROOMRed Sox: RHP Steven Wright (shoulder) threw from 60 feet on Thursday and was scheduled to throw from 120 feet on Friday. ... LHP Henry Owens threw five innings in the Instructional League to stay sharp and was set to rejoin the Red Sox on Friday.Orioles: RHP Kevin Gausman will have his next start delayed after experiencing discomfort near his rib cage. Dylan Bundy will start Sunday against Arizona, and the Orioles hope Gausman can pitch Tuesday or Wednesday in Toronto. ... LHP Jayson Aquino was unavailable because of a viral infection.UP NEXTRed Sox: Winless in his last five starts, Drew Pomeranz (2-5, 4.91 ERA) faces the Rays in the start of a three-game series.Orioles: Yovani Gallardo (5-8, 5.77) starts Friday against Arizona, which hopes to play spoiler behind struggling right-hander Shelby Miller (2-12, 6.90). ' ' '