Before last year, the Friday Football Showdown, which is hosted by The Las Vegas Sportsline radio show on local ESPN affiliate AM 1100 and has roots dating back to the old Stardust Invitational and Leroy's Money Talks Invitational radio contests (which had 16-player fields in a single-elimination tournament format) was open mostly to professional handicappers and touts. Last year, the Golden Nugget and Sportsline crews decided to make it an open contest, with the top eight handicappers from the first half of the season qualifying for the head-to-head tournament to determine the champion.

Registration opens at 12 p.m. PT Friday, to coincide with the release of the Golden Nugget's College Football Games of the Year.

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The Friday Football Showdown attracted an 87-player field in its first open year, which organizers were happy with, and Jonathan Rice took home $118,500 (the $115,500 champion's prize, plus $2,000 for making the playoffs and $1,000 for his quarterfinal win) after beating the team of Frank Betti and Anthony Curtis (who collected $38,500 for second plus the $3,000 in prior winnings) in the finals. This year, the goal is to get closer to 200 entries.

"After we made it open to the public for the first time last year, we went over the rules and wanted to make it more exciting and more fair," said Golden Nugget race and sports book director Tony Miller.

Miller said the "more exciting" rule changes were mostly developed by him and his staff, including his right-hand man Aaron Kessler, along with The Las Vegas Sportsline host Matt Youmans, and include a "wild-card chase" in Weeks 9 and 10 for those who don't qualify in the first eight weeks, plus a mini-contest over Weeks 15-17. The "more fair" rules were suggested by contestants last year; those include moving the day that contest lines become available from noon Wednesday to noon Thursday and increasing the money for making the playoffs from $2,000 to $3,000.

"The moving of the lines from Wednesday to Thursday was because we saw a lot of lines, especially college totals, move a lot, and some players would just be playing the biggest moves," Miller said. "Now, you still have 26 hours from noon Thursday until 2 p.m. Friday to put in your plays.

"Also, last year, if you made the playoffs and got eliminated in the first round, you would only break even, so we agreed that those qualifiers should at least make a profit."

Full rules, including tie-breaking procedures that make NFL tie-breaking protocols look simple, are posted on The Las Vegas Sportsline website, but here are the basics:

There's one entry per person and local players or out-of-towners can designate a proxy to put in their weekly plays.

All contestants make seven plays against the Golden Nugget's contest lines (again, the full slate of college and pro sides and totals are available, unless a game is off the board and left off of the contest card) during Weeks 1 through 8 of the NFL season (the opening weekend of college games aren't included). Each win is worth one point per win, with a half-point per push (there are no 2-point best bets this season).

The top-seven records from the first eight weeks advance to the playoffs. The wild-card chase is held in Weeks 9-10, with contestants making nine plays those weeks and the wild-card winner making the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.

Playoff contestants will receive $3,000 each and must appear on The Las Vegas Sportsline radio show (2-3 p.m. PT on those Fridays) to announce their plays or designate someone to appear for them. The quarterfinals will be Nov. 18, Nov. 25, Dec. 2 and Dec. 9 (winners get an additional $2,000) with the semifinals on Dec. 16 and 23 and the championship match on Dec. 30. A total of $32,000 will be paid out to the winners of the qualifiers and the quarterfinal winners, the remaining prize pool will be split up with 60 percent going to the champion, 25 percent to the second-place finisher and 5 percent each to the semifinal losers.

All entrants are eligible to compete in the mini contest in Weeks 15-17 (playing along with the semifinalists and finalists), making seven selections each week. The winner will receive 5 percent of the remaining prize pool (or split among all mini-contest ties).

One change the Golden Nugget didn't make is that it's returning 100 percent of entry fees as prizes. The Westgate SuperContest has instituted an 8 percent administrative fee off the top of its prize pool this season, and only time will tell if that hurts their number of entries. The South Point has also been working on a 100 percent payback high-end football contest of its own, but no details have been announced as of this time.

Keep an eye on ESPN Chalk as we give you the latest news from the Las Vegas football contest scene all the way through the champions being crowned.

Enter Ryan Tannehill Jerseys, who is Gase's next quarterback project. The fifth-year veteran and former 2012 first-round pick for Miami has shown flashes but has yet to put together a dominant season. Gase pushed Tannehill hard this spring to learn his third offense in four years.

"He's done a good job," Gase said. "I know I put a lot on his plate, and it's almost to the point where it's probably too much this fast. But I want to see how far and I want to see where the breaking point is, and he keeps battling and he keeps doing things [well] in practice."

Today's question: What will Gase's impact be on Tannehill?

Rich Cimini, New York Jets Jerseys Jerseys reporter: It has to be a better impact than Joe Philbin, doesn't it? Presumably, Gase will allow Tannehill to do more than throw wide receiver screens. My gosh, it was maddening to watch that. Speaking from a Jets Jerseys' perspective, the players have always had a healthy respect for Tannehill's physical skills -- mainly arm strength and athleticism -- but they feel he doesn't maximize his skill set. They think he's methodical at times and gets happy feet when he senses the pass rush. That's a tough thing to coach out of a quarterback, but Gase has an impressive track record. He turned Cutler into an efficient quarterback, so he deserves major points for that.

Mike Reiss, New England Patriots Jerseys Jerseys repoter: Tom Brady Jerseys is in his 17th NFL season and he's spent his entire career in one offensive system. He's spoken about how fortunate he is for that stability because every time a new coach is hired, there is a reset and it can affect a player's growth. I bring this up because it's Tannehill's fifth NFL season and this is already his third offensive system. This is not an ingredient for success, especially for a quarterback who entered the NFL having only made 19 career starts at the position in college. Tannehill needs some stability and Gase -- who reminds me of Patriots Jerseys offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in terms of his innovation and ability to bring out the best in quarterbacks -- will bring it. It just might take a little time to see the results.

Mike Rodak, Buffalo Bills Jerseys Jerseys reporter: Gase was one of the first coaches the Bills Jerseys interviewed when Doug Marrone quit in January 2015. If he was chosen over Rex Ryan, Buffalo would have had an offensive-oriented coach help tutor EJ Manuel Jerseys and try to get the first-round pick to deliver the way the team thought he would. Would Gase have been able to turn Manuel around? I'm not so sure, but I don't think that would have been a reflection on Gase. Likewise, I think the Dolphins Jerseys would like for Gase to bring Tannehill to the next level and help him live up to the big contract they gave him, but coaches aren't miracle workers. Now in his fifth season, I just haven't seen enough from Tannehill to feel strongly that Gase will be able to up his quarterback's game.

Bryce Dejean-Jones, who died of a gunshot wound May 28, wore No. 31 in his lone, abbreviated season with the Pelicans. But McKay still pictures his former Iowa State teammate alongside him in a No. 13 jersey.

“I looked up,” McKay said, “and just told him thanks and to have my back.”

Just three months earlier, McKay and Dejean-Jones envisioned playing together in that game. McKay, who spent last season at Iowa State after playing with Dejean-Jones for the Cyclones in 2014-15, said he had one of his best pre-draft workouts with the Pelicans and “liked the situation, liked the vibe” enough to favor a return there if he were to go undrafted. It also helped that Dejean-Jones -- a former undrafted free agent who signed a long-term deal with New Orleans in February after stints with the Pelicans in summer league, preseason and on 10-day contracts -- would be suiting up next to him.

“I knew if this opportunity came I would take it because I wanted to play with him,” said McKay, who ultimately went unselected in the 2016 NBA draft.

McKay and Dejean-Jones would talk once or twice a week, usually through FaceTime or while playing each other in NBA2K. But after a workout in Miami in late May, McKay received a FaceTime from one of the basketball managers at Iowa State alerting him of a distressing tweet from Dejean-Jones’ brother.

“No, I didn’t see it,” McKay told him, “but they probably [are] talking about a different Bryce because I just spoke to Bryce.”

The tweet was true. While in Dallas to celebrate the first birthday of his daughter, Dejean-Jones, 23, was fatally shot after breaking down the door to an apartment, according to a Dallas Police report. Several sources said Dejean-Jones mistook the apartment for that of his child’s mother, who lived in the same complex.

“Honestly, it didn’t sit well with me at first,” McKay said. “Because that’s like my brother, that’s one of my brothers. Once you’re my teammate and we get that bond, I consider you family. So it didn’t sit well with me at first. But then you’ve got to look at the bigger picture. You can’t react a certain way. You still have to be mature and live your life, because at the end of the day that’s what he would want from me.”

No arrests have been made, a Dallas Police Department official said last week. Under Texas law, a person is allowed to use deadly force to defend themselves in their home.

“It was such a tragedy,” said former Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg. “I talked to his brother that next day. It’s just hard to deal with because of how well Bryce was doing. To see his family at the funeral is tough. To lose a son, to lose a brother ... it’s such a hard thing to deal with. I was talking to his dad and he said there won’t be one day that goes by that I don’t think about Bryce. It’s tough, because you do build relationships with those kids. It was such a senseless act and a tough thing to deal with.”

McKay and Dejean-Jones were among the contingent of transfer students who passed through Ames, Iowa, during Hoiberg’s tenure. McKay played at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa before transferring to Marquette (where he never played a game) and then Iowa State. Dejean-Jones, a Los Angeles native, left USC during his freshman season amid reports he faced dismissal for allegedly striking a teammate. He spent two years at UNLV but transferred out after he said he was threatened with gun violence by a teammate. He was arrested and suspended one game at Iowa State for misdemeanor noise violations and gathering where marijuana was used, the latter charge being dropped soon after his arrest.

“Bryce is sometimes misunderstood, but I was one of the few people who understood him,” McKay said. “With some of the reps he had, I think if people really took the time ... I think he’s one of the top five best guys as far as teammates I’ve ever been around. And people don’t know that.

“I got to meet the real him.”

Pelicans staffers lament the fact that Dejean-Jones’ death came so soon after he found success and stability in New Orleans.

“He was doing so well,” said Hoiberg, now the head coach of the Chicago Bulls Jerseys. “In just talking to people at the funeral and talking to people in the Pelicans’ organization, they say just how much they liked him and how well he was doing. For it to be such a fluke accident, the way that it happened, it just makes it tougher to deal with.”

McKay said he hasn’t fully moved on. But in his moments of grief, he finds himself thinking about what Dejean-Jones would say about it.

“The first thing he would tell me would be to move on,” McKay said. “Sort of like, ‘You’re being soft.’ [Laughs.] ‘Move on. I’m all right, bro.’ He never wanted anybody to feel bad for him. So I can’t catch myself feeling bad for him.”

Instead, McKay tries to spin the tragedy into empowerment.

“It makes me look at life a little different,” he said. “Just because you can be on top of the world one day and be gone from the world the next day. It definitely changed my perspective on that. I also value the things that I do and the places I’m at more. You’re not just living for yourself -- you’re living for the people around you. Not saying he was doing anything bad or something he shouldn’t have been, but one mistake can ruin your whole life. You’ve got to be smarter in the decisions that you make.”

In McKay’s profile photo on Twitter and Instagram, he and Dejean-Jones are teammates again. Dressed in crisp white Cyclones jerseys -- No. 1 for McKay, No. 13 for Dejean-Jones -- their outstretched arms are connected by grasping the same basketball.

In the game he and Dejean-Jones were supposed to play together once again, McKay, who has appeared in one of New Orleans’ three summer league games thus far in Las Vegas, had four points and six rebounds in 19 minutes.

Before the Pelicans’ next game, he received a text from Dejean-Jones’ brother.

“Do it for BDJ,” it read. “Family for life.”

Here are the top 10 performances, including some expected shOwings Jerseys and the arrival of yet another Chicago Cubs Jerseys Jerseys prospect.

To read Tommy Rancel's full analysis of the standout fantasy prospects in this year's Futures Game, and for all of InsiDe Jerseysr's baseball content, sign up today!

The Lions Jerseys didn't make any huge free-agent signings along the line, although they brought in veteran guard Geoff Schwartz Jerseys. During the draft, the offensive line became a major focal point, with three picks used on offensive linemen, including the No. 16 overall pick, tackle Taylor Decker, along with center Graham Glasgow and the versatile Joe Dahl.

But was it enough to help Stafford this fall? We asked the other writers around the NFC North whether it'll be enough to keep Stafford upright this year.

Ben Goessling, Minnesota Vikings Jerseys Jerseys reporter: I'd be cautious before I assume a bunch of young linemen are going to come in and fix the problems I saw last season, when the Vikings Jerseys quite literally turned Stafford black and blue in two matchups against the Lions Jerseys. He needed X-rays after both games, and the Vikings Jerseys' pass rush should be formidable again this season, with Danielle Hunter Jerseys turning into the kind of freaky pass-rusher Everson Griffen Jerseys has been on the right side of the line. The Packers Jerseys want to get Clay Matthews Jerseys back at outside linebacker, and they blitz enough that young linemen will have plenty to think about there, too. Vikings Jerseys GM Rick Spielman talked this offseason about how the team -- which has plenty of its own offensive line issues -- likes to stockpile young linemen, because it's as tough as ever to find good ones coming from the spread-heavy college game. The investments certainly can help, but I'm not sure I'd assume they will fix all the Lions Jerseys' protection problems by Week 1.

Rob Demovsky, Green Bay Packers Jerseys Jerseys reporter: How much of that is on Stafford? Does he hold the ball too long? Do receivers not get open quickly enough? So often we look at sack numbers and automatically assign them to the offensive line, but it's not always the case. Obviously, the Lions Jerseys need a tackle or they wouldn't have used the 16th overall pick on Taylor Decker. But it's a lot to ask of any rookie to come in and deal with the NFL's best pass-rushers right away and be successful. Just because they addressed it this offseason, doesn't mean the problem will be solved. If defensive coordinators have been successful defending a player a certain way -- in this case pressuring Stafford -- then expect them to keep sending the house after him until they prove they can stop it.

Jeff Dickerson, Chicago Bears Jerseys Jerseys reporter: How can it not help? Stafford went down 44 times last year. The Lions Jerseys used three picks on offensive linemen -- Ohio State's Taylor Decker (first round), Michigan's Graham Glasgow (third round) and Washington State's Joe Dahl (fifth round). At least two of the rookies should start Week 1. Detroit may experience growing pains early in the season, but Stafford likely benefits in the long run. The Lions Jerseys are not alone in terms of pass protection woes. Teams also sacked Teddy Bridgewater Jerseys 44 times in 2015. And Aaron Rodgers Jerseys was sacked a division-high 46 times. Of the three NFC teams, the Lions Jerseys were the most proactive addressing the problem via the draft. That should help Stafford next season, unless Detroit completely misevaluated the prospects.

According to Associates, which monitors cheap sports jerseys media exposure, Carolina had already accustomed about 15,000 civic media mentions even above to acceptable the championship. In Omaha, there was little agnosticism as to who was aswell the two-week best of commodity sales. It was the aforementioned aggregation that concluded up acceptable the absolute champion. There was a lot of azure apparent about eastern Nebraska in backward June.

"Sure, I ample a few association would appearance up to accost us if we got home," he recalled thinking. "But I'm not abiding the Myrtle Beach airport has anytime had that abounding humans there all at one time. This was bigger than bounce break."

On Friday, as accoutrements of admirers lined the streets of Conway and accoutrements added arranged still-new Spring jerseys Brooks Stadium to bless with their team jerseys, they all wore that aforementioned teal. No amount how harder it was to appear by.

It was night about midnight, about eight hours afterwards Coastal Carolina had won the Academy Apple Series, and arch drillmaster Gary Gilmore was getting summoned to attending out the window of the aggregation airplane.

Way bigger. There were a few thousand fans, dressed in teal, bouncing bootleg signs and chanting "C-C-U!" The coach, eyes already billowy from a day of blessed cries, aimlessly climbed the fence to advance the cheers. He was so absent to what he was accomplishing that he accursed abreast affective the razor wire to cull himself up and over.

"You can't acquisition it anywhere. Everywhere is awash out," said Jimmy Shepard, a longtime Myrtle Beach citizen who went to the celebration. "I saw a lot of humans out actuality today that I apperceive I saw endure anniversary cutting South Carolina and Clemson stuff. Their Chants jerseys and hats all attending appealing abuse new. I wore the oldest jerseys I had just so they'd apperceive I'm no Johnny-Come-Lately. Now I achievement these Johnnys that were actuality today will be aback actuality cheap spring jerseys."

Almost as if he was demography his cue from Shepard, Gilmore stepped to the microphone to abode the army estimated at added than 8,000. He anticipation about that pop-up bivouac office. He anticipation about the old aluminum bleacher "stadium" that was on this website just three years ago, the one he acclimated to accept to ability ablution the aviate debris off of afore homestands. He looked at the sparkling civic championship trophy, displayed in, of all places, Conway. And afresh he accustomed himself, just for a moment, to try and attending into the future.

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"There was a time if it would yield us months to draw this abounding admirers to our games," said Gilmore, who played at Coastal in 1979 and '80 and just completed his 21st division at the captain of his new cheap team jerseys. "I formed out of a pop-up bivouac next to the ballpark that aboriginal year. It's a continued agency from that to this. Humans accept no abstraction how long."

So one can alone brainstorm the pride Coastal Carolina admirers acquainted if their Twitter timelines were abounding with clips of Clemson football players auspicious Coastal's win on Friday or well-wishes from the brand of Steve Spurrier.

Well, a lot of ability not. But there are affluence who do.

Coach Gary Glimore, who played at Coastal Carolina in 1979 and '80, won his aboriginal civic championship in his 21st division at Coastal. AP Photo/Nati Harnik

For students, alumni and admirers of Coastal Carolina, Friday's achievement acquainted like the liberation of a baby nation. This is a academy that didn't even abide until 1954, founded as a association academy and captivation its classes at Conway High School. By the 1960s, it was beneath arrangement as an addendum campus of the University jerseys of South Carolina and didn't become a four-year academy until 1974. On July 1, the academy apparent just its 23rd year as an absolute university jerseys. Gilmore was assassin two years later.

"I can acquaint you this," Coastal able-bodied administrator Matt Hogue, a South Carolina alumnus, said beforehand in the week. "There weren't abounding South Carolina admirers acclaim for Clemson to exhausted Alabama [in January's Academy cheap Football jerseys Playoff appellation game], and if South Carolina was acceptable back-to-back Academy Apple Series, there ability not accept been any Clemson admirers acclaim for the Gamecocks. But I can't acquaint you how abundant abutment we've accustomed from both schools during our time in Omaha."

That's a lot of years and a lot of history to advance an inferiority complex, active activity as a alleged "directional school" in the absolute continued caliginosity of Clemson and South Carolina. Their amulet is an addendum of those feelings. If the academy -- afresh Coastal Carolina Academy of the University jerseys of South Carolina -- absitively to get into cheap sports jerseys, they capital a amulet that would account their ancestor school, the Gamecocks, but was absolutely fancier. An English assistant appropriate the Chanticleer, a appearance from Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" declared as such: "For crowing there was not his according in all the acreage ... his nails were whiter than the afraid and his accoutrement were like ablaze gold." That's absolutely no simple angry rooster.

On Wednesday night, they were at their auberge bar accessible to allocution to anyone but at a bit of a accident for words if asked what a civic championship would mean: "It's the better affair to anytime appear to our school," they said.

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