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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Cam Newton must find a way to beat his biggest nemesis for the Carolina Panthers to advance to the NFC championship game.The fourth-year quarterback is 0-3 in his career and has struggled to find the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks, Carolinas opponent in Saturday nights divisional playoff game.Newton has led only one touchdown drive in those three losses to the Seahawks.Hes barely completed 50 per cent of his passes and is averaging just 145 yards passing per game. Hes been sacked eight times and three turnovers, including two fumbles. Newton has also been limited to 104 yards on the ground and has not scored a touchdown rushing against Seattle.I cant really put a finger on it, Newton said of his struggles against the Seahawks. They have great players and theyre coached extremely well.Seattle coach Pete Carroll said the Seahawks havent done anything special against Newton.Weve just tried to play football and hold on — and weve been able to get that done, Carroll said.This will be Newtons first time playing in Seattle, so battling crowd noise will certainly add to Newtons challenges.Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he believes Newton will be fine as long as he doesnt try to force the action against the leagues No. 1-ranked defence.He just has to take what they give him, Rivera said. I know one thing about him is that he is so competitive and he wants to make things happen, but I think exercising the right type of patience will be good for him.Rivera said Newton has shown he can do just that in recent weeks.While his stats havent been spectacular, Newton has gotten the job done and the Panthers (8-8-1) have won five straight games.If Cam plays the way he has in some of the games in this past five-week stretch there are some really good possibilities for us, Rivera said.Still, odds-makers arent giving Newton and the Panthers much of a chance of winning on the road. They opened the week as an 11-point underdog.Rivera said the Panthers will need to perform better in the red zone to have a chance — something theyve struggled with most of the season and in past games against Seattle — and not turn the ball over.Carolina settled for three field goal attempts last Saturday in a 27-16 wild-card win against Arizona and also had three turnovers, two by Newton.When I look back at this past game, we had ample opportunities to score, Newton said. We had a couple of turnovers, senseless turnovers at that. Me being the number one on the blame list being the leader of this offence, we just have to do better. If we do that, who knows what the game will turn out to be?Newton doesnt anticipate the Panthers doing anything differently than they have been in recent weeks.Theyve leaned heavily on Jonathan Stewart in the running game the past five weeks and are averaging 196.6 yards rushing per game during that span.Newton also said he wont hesitate to throw at Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman if the opportunity presents itself.Dont get me wrong, Richard Sherman is a top-tier cornerback, Newton said. But, if the read takes me there, I have to take it. Im not going to shy away from it.The Panthers may be without speedy wide receiver Philly Brown, which could limit Newtons options on offence.The rookie is still recovering from a shoulder injury he sustained against Arizona. He was limited Thursday at practice. Without him, the Panthers lack a deep threat.Rivera said Thursday hell make a decision on Browns playing status closer to kickoff.The Panthers are taking practice squad player Stephen Hill with them to Seattle in case Brown cant play, and they decide to add another wide receiver to the 53-man roster.Brown said he feels well enough to play, but the decision will be up to the coaching staff.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Air Max 95 Sale Canada . Long snapper Patrick Mannelly announced Friday that he is retiring after a 16-year-career with the Bears, a span in which he played in a team record 245 games and snapped the ball 2,282 times. Nike Air Max Fury Canada . Plata blasted a rising shot to the upper left corner for his team-leading seventh goal of the season. He got the kick after referee Allen Chapman ruled Chris Tierney fouled John Stertzer in the penalty area. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/air-max-93-canada-sale.html . In his first game with Boston University, the 17-year-old Eichel picked up five assists as his Boston University Terriers thumped St. Air Max 180 Canada . This game was inside. Adrian Peterson was missing. The stage was set for another step toward the playoffs. Nike Air Max 360 Canada . Edmonton opened the season with 14 straight victories before falling Friday night 10-8 to the host Colorado Mammoth in National Lacrosse League action.UEFA President Michel Platini made headlines this week suggesting neither Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi should win the Ballon DOr award when it is announced in January. The Ballon dOr tends to go to a player who has performed exceptionally well at the World Cup, someone who won it, said The Frenchman. He added: So this year it should be for a Germany player. It was always that way until 2010 when Leo Messi won despite having a fairly average World Cup, so nothing is for certain. Platini is a man who has a right to live in the past. After all, his greatest successes, as a player, occurred there. The problem with living in the past, however, is that you lose sight of what happens in the present. In Platinis case, it seems, this includes the recent past as he adds fuel to the flames around the myth of Messis average 2010 World Cup. We should not cast too much of a judgment on the 59-year-olds memory of South Africa 2010, as there is a more significant point to be made here, although for someone who puts so much onus on that tournament you would expect more. Yet therein lies the real problem. Platini only spoke about this issue for less than 90 seconds this week but already got himself in a muddle. He went on to use examples of past winners of the award in World Cup years, such as Igor Belanov in 1986 because he had a good World Cup. So, to clarify, its not just someone who wins it then, Michel? Of course the award, then, was only eligible for European players, which is why Diego Maradona didnt win it. Messi, of course, in a year when he is now eligible, was named the best player at this years World Cup. This all just weakens Platinis argument even more. As UEFA President the last thing he should be doing is using history as a guide to dictate what should happen in the future around an award that is completely different than in the past. Some feel he wants to generate interest in the award by steering the process away from the inevitable, a battle between the games best two players, by some margin, Ronaldo and Messi. A similar campaign happened last year when the media portion of the vote incredibly awarded more first place votes for Bayern Munich midfielder, Franck Ribery. Platinis ideas, though, are archaic and shine a spotlight on an area of the game where identifying the reliance of individual quality is much more difficult. It is one thing to put the onus on the award based on the World Cup if the club game was significantly behind international football. Yet, as this week as shown, it is the exact opposite in terms of overall quality and entertainment. It has been an interesting few weeks for club against country debates. Raheem Sterlings tiredness, Diego Costas hamstring and Don Garber vs Jurgen Klinsmann have been some notable chapters that needed to be told. The World Cup in Brazil was, undoubtedly, a marvellous month of football, with Germany coming out worthy winners of arguably one of the finest World Cups of all time. Yet, since, the international game has been rapidly forced back on us as nothing more than a distraction of annoyance. Yes, sure, there has been some surprising results at the start of qualifying for a tournament in two years time, but the club game has been left disjointed; frustrated by two large, less than meaningful, international windows before thhe middle of October full of many games that were nothing more than all-star exhibition games.dddddddddddd Club football was finally pushed back on stage this past week and responded with a bang, highlighting the true top level that the worlds greatest players can reach. Watching the likes of Messi and Ronaldo attempt to reach their peak while playing for their countries is an exhausting exercise. Playing with club teammates they simply generate the relationships they need each week to excel. The international game does not give them this opportunity. Yet, the popularity of the World Cup, coupled with comments such as Platinis, make people believe that the elite should be at their best when, in fact, the odds are severely stacked against them. It is little wonder countries like Germany and Spain, which specializes in a team philosophy over individual brilliance, has excelled in recent years. To appreciate the true world class brilliance of the likes of Messi and Ronaldo is to watch them each week for Barcelona and Real Madrid and, in particular, when they grace us with their talents in the Champions League as they did this week. Ronaldos finish at Anfield, from a subtle pass by James Rodriguez, simply couldnt happen for Portugal. It was a sensational goal born out of a combination of true understanding and quality. The same could be said for Messis goal against Ajax on Tuesday when he ran into space and anticipated a pass that only a true visionary could pull off. Thankfully, for Messi, Andres Iniesta was the maestro who delivered the ball. For Argentina, it would have simply been a run no one else would have seen. It is the Champions League where such brilliance is highlighted, a tournament that, remarkably, some had the knives out for this week. As followers of the sport we can be a fickle bunch. Tuesdays games returned scorelines of 6-0, 0-7 and 1-7, which prompted many to question the competitiveness of the entire tournament. What a great pity. We can be guilty of not appreciating things that happen in the immediate. Just ask Platini. Twenty years ago this week the first legs of the last 16 of the European Cup took place. Reigning Ballon DOr winner Platini and his Juventus took on Grasshoppers of Zurich over two legs. Lyngby of Denmark, Beveren of Belgium and Linfield of Northern Ireland were amongst the teams in the last 16 of club footballs elite competition. Platini would go on to win the European Cup that year, playing just nine games, most of which were vastly inferior to the Italian champions. It would be the World Cup that would provide the only showcase for the best players to meet. Things have changed dramatically since. As consumers of a sport we love, we crave greatness. That it happens infrequently makes it more special. What the likes of Bayern Munich, Ronaldo and Messi continue to do on the biggest club stage of all should not be discounted because its not in a tournament called the World Cup. As guardians of history we have a responsibility to future generations to tell stories of greatness and, thanks to the Champions League, we are crucial witnesses to this far more often than those who knew Platini more as a player than the leader of a governing body who is simply out of touch when searching for where the best of the best perform. ' ' '