new era for the Knicks, who may miss the playoffs this season after winning n back in the game, s

NEW ORLEANS - Pierre Thomas kept his body compact and his thick legs churning, bursting through thin seams in the Tampa Bay defence, slipping away from some tacklers and surging through others.Eight seasons after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Thomas still comes up with the big gains on screen passes and on the ground that have been the hallmarks of his career.On Sunday, Thomas had 112 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, the Saints overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime, and Thomas understudy, Khiry Robinson, capped a 37-31 victory with a tackle-breaking 18-yard touchdown run.Few were more thankful for Thomas performance than star quarterback Drew Brees, whose three interceptions put the Saints (2-3) in danger of falling into last place in the NFC South.Brees called Thomas everything youd want in a teammate in regards to not only his production on game day but throughout the week.He can do it all, Brees added. Hes one of the best all-purpose backs in the league, no question, and hes been that for a long time.With a shoulder injury forcing tight end Jimmy Graham from the game in the second quarter, Brees still passed for 371 yards. But he also misfired 22 times, finishing 35 of 57.Thomas became one of Brees top targets, catching eight passes for 77 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown on a screen pass. He rushed for 35 yards, highlighted by his 27-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.Robinson rushed 21 times for 89 yards. Thomas, Robinson and fellow running back Travaris Cadet combined for 228 yards from scrimmage and four TDs.We dug deep and did what we have to do to win, Thomas said. We never gave up hope. We kept fighting, fighting and fighting. It shows how much heart we have.The Buccaneers (1-4) hurt themselves with 15 penalties for 113 yards, none more damaging than the flag on cornerback Johnthan Banks in overtime for illegal hands to the face as Brees threw incomplete on third down.The penalties really hurt us, Bucs coach Lovie Smith said, adding that infractions like the one Banks committed are ones you just cant make.Tampa Bay quarterback Mike Glennon was 19 for 32 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once in the first half and sacked by Junior Galette for a safety in the fourth quarter.Starting for Josh McCown (injured thumb), Glennon nearly got his second straight victory in a stadium where the Bucs have not won since the last game of the 2010 regular season. That was also the last time the Saints lost in the Superdome with coach Sean Payton a€” who was suspended in 2012 a€” roaming the sideline.Tampa Bay held a two-score lead early in the fourth quarter after Glennons 9-yard pass to Robert Herron, capping a drive highlighted by a 34-yard completion to Vincent Jackson.The Saints cut it 31-26 on Thomas rushing TD, then failed to convert a 2-point try. But with the Superdome crowd roaring, the Bucs offence seemed to unravel. A holding penalty was followed by a botched snap, then a pair of pre-snap penalties that backed Tamp Bay up against its goal line.We were up five at the time and would have liked to have moved the ball and get points, but at least push them back so they didnt have great field position, Glennon said. It was not well-executed by us and its something well look at.The series ended when Galette stunted inside behind defensive end Cameron Jordans outside pass rush and had a free run at Glennon for a safety that made it a 31-28.I saw the opening and shot it, Galette said.New Orleans then capped the next drive with Shayne Grahams 44-yard field goal to tie it with 2:30 left.The Bucs did not score until Patrick Murrays 55-yard field goal made it 13-3 with 1:54 left in the second quarter. Soon after, Banks cut in front of Cadet for an interception on the Saints 40. Glennon then found receiver Louis Murphy for a 20-yard score to make it 13-10.Bobby Raineys 9-yard run made it 17-13 early in the third quarter. Brees then threw his second interception as he was bumped and falling backward. Danny Lansanah grabbed the errant throw and galloped 33 yards for his second touchdown on an interception this season.Brees responded with a 5-yard TD pass to Cadet, setting up a wild fourth quarter.NOTES: In addition to Jimmy Graham, the Saints also lost C Jonathan Goodwin (knee) and LB Ramon Humber (ankle) to injuries during the game. ... The Bucs did not announce any injuries. ... Brees surpassed 40,000 yards passing with the Saints in his 132nd game with the club. Dan Marino had been the fastest to 40,000 yards with one club, doing so with Miami in 153 games.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap Denver Broncos Jerseys . Hamilton signed offensive linemen Mike Filer, Joel Reinders, Landon Rice and Carson Rockhill. Cheap Broncos Jerseys . The Redblacks are taking on the Edmonton Eskimos in their second regular season game Friday night. Catch the game live on TSN as the back end of a doubleheader starting at 10pm et/7pm pt. http://www.cheapbroncosjerseysauthentic.com/ . A lovely summer day in England with abundant sunshine and minimal wind allowed him to attack Royal Liverpool. Wholesale Broncos Jerseys . The New York Rangers centre had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators ending a 13-game goal-scoring drought. Broncos Jerseys China . made a diving catch in left field for the final out in a 1-0 victory over the Miami Marlins in a regular-season finale Sunday. Zimmermann (14-5) allowed only two baserunners, finishing with 10 strikeouts and one walk in the fifth no-hitter in the majors this year. Phil Jackson won NBA titles as a player and a coach. Hell now try winning as an executive. And this quest will take him back to where his career began. Jackson has agreed to run the New York Knicks front office and will be formally introduced by the team at a news conference at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday morning, a person familiar with the negotiations between the 11-time champion coach and the franchise told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Knicks would only confirm that a "major announcement" involving team executives was scheduled. Jackson also did not make any immediate public comment, but the move had been expected for several days -- and was practically confirmed earlier this week by Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, who said he had heard the Hall of Fame coach was "coming on board." Jackson had been courted by clubs before, and fans in Los Angeles clamoured for him to return to coaching not long after he left the Lakers after the 2010-11 season. Hes largely shunned limelight during this three-year break from work, during which he did things such as working on his health -- arthritis pain hampered him toward the end of his coaching career -- and released a book chronicling his basketball life. Denver coach Brian Shaw, who played for Jackson and has been an assistant under him as well, said Friday that he would not be surprised to see one of his mentors take on the challenge of rebuilding the Knicks. "I think hes a basketball lifer, a basketball junkie," Shaw said in Miami, where the Nuggets were playing the Heat. "I think that with all the success that hes had, what hes learned and his passion for the game, I think it gets boring when you do something like hes done all his life and all of a sudden youre kind of out of the mix. If he does do it, hed be excited about the challenge of attacking the game from a different position." Jackson played his first 10 NBA seasons with the Knicks -- he was there for 11 actually, missing the 1969-70 championship season because of injury. Jackson was a key part of the 1972-73 team that wonn the NBA title, topping the Lakers.dddddddddddd New York hasnt won a championship since. Jackson has won 11 since, six with the Chicago Bulls and five more with the Lakers. Shaw has spoken with Jackson regularly during the season, saying that his former coach will sometimes call or text to ask if a play the Nuggets run was one that they used together during their triangle-offence days. But Shaw -- who will likely be mentioned as a potential coaching candidate in New York if the Knicks decide to part ways with Mike Woodson -- has kept his distance from Jackson during this will-he-or-wont-he process. "Ive kind of left him alone during this period of time because I know its a lot going on and certainly people are hitting him from every different direction," Shaw said. Odds are, that wont change anytime soon. Jacksons arrival in New York will likely usher in a new era for the Knicks, who may miss the playoffs this season after winning 54 games a year ago. Even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this week that he wanted to see Jackson back in the game, saying "the league needs him." Apparently, the Knicks felt they needed him as well. New York could lose Anthony this summer through free agency, will likely look to upgrade their roster in several other areas, and Jackson will have to tackle all those issues -- and plenty of others -- even though the Knicks have spent about as freely as any team in recent years. And a playoff trip this year is hardly a certainty, with the Knicks currently on the outside of the post-season picture. With the Bulls, he had Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. With the Lakers, he had Shaquille ONeal and Kobe Bryant. With the Knicks, hell have more questions than answers, at least in the beginning of his first foray into life as an executive. Theres also the issue of how much power hell actually have working for Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan. Since the start of the 2004-05 season, the Knicks have gone through six head coaches and won a total of seven playoff games. Starting Tuesday, itll apparently be Jacksons job to change all that. ' ' '