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Aspiring NRL teams like the Brisbane Bombers should enter a team into rugby leagues new-look second tier instead of pushing for direct entry, NRL head of football Brian Canavan says.Canavan has declared expansion of the NRL is off the table, but expansion of the Intrust Super Cup in Queensland and NSWs Intrust Super Premiership is very much up for discussion.Those competitions will take on added importance from 2018 as the NRL phases out the Holden Cup and replaces it with under-20s leagues in each state.By 2022, rugby leagues second tier could include more teams from regional areas, the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Pacific Island nations and even a second New Zealand team, all of which have been earmarked as potential new sides by the NRL.But it could also serve as a springboard for new entities like the Bombers, who have been pushing for a spot in the NRL for several years, only to have been repeatedly turned away by a reluctant governing body.Asked if the Bombers would be welcome to apply for an Intrust Super Cup licence, Canavan said: That would be a more appropriate way to go about it.(If you) develop from the bottom up, that ensures sustainability for the future rather than just be a one-out club.It builds the capacity, builds the brand, builds a player base, an administration base - all that ready to go for the next level.Australian Rugby League Commission chairman John Grant said last year the NRLs 17th club would likely come from south-east Queensland.However, the NRL has since gone cold on the idea of expansion in the short term and Canavan said there would be no new additions for several years.Expansion at the NRL level is off the table. Thats not to say it wont come back onto the table at some stage into the distant future, he said.But expansion is on the table at the second-tier, state cup levels, and if we can accommodate affiliate states ... that widens our base.Then, if we wanted to expand way down the track, weve got a bigger base, a bigger pool of players to call upon to advance the competition.Wayne Cooper Jersey .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Portland Trail Blazers Gear . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. 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Greg Oden Jersey .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night.METAIRIE, La. -- When Saints defensive players gathered for meetings this week, there has been plenty of criticism to go around, defensive tackle Tyeler Davison said.Thats what happens when you give up more than 200 yards rushing and 45 points in a critical home game against a divisional rival -- and fall to 0-3.Its emotional, but when youre in there, were coaching ourselves, coach is coaching us, youve got to check your ego at the door, Davison said.Davison was among several banged-up defensive regulars who missed Monday nights game, but hopes to return this Sunday in San Diego to a unit that appears to need all the help it can get.Its mounting pressure because we havent won a game yet and we need to win one, Davison said. We still believe in ourselves. ... Its not necessarily a panic, but we know that weve got to show up this game.New Orleans is giving up 448.3 yards and 32 points per game, which ranks second to last in the NFL in both categories.After reviewing video of his defenses latest effort, Saints coach Sean Payton didnt mince words -- particularly when it came to New Orleans defensive front against the run.Were late. Were behind blocks. Consequently were on the ground more. Were reaching more. Alignments were poor, Payton said. In general, we didnt play well at all at linebacker and I would say in the front it was very average at best. Its one of those tapes that you want to make sure there are not a ton of copies of, because it isnt real pretty.The secondary had only one regular starter on the field: veteran safety Jairus Byrd, but he struggled. He got caught leaning the wrong way on a couple of running plays that turned into significant gains. He arrived in New Orleans as a high-profile free-agent acquisition three seasons ago, having made a slew of interceptions and several Pro Bowl appearances for Buffalo. He has one interception with the Saints -- and that was last season.With the pressure rising, lineup changes could be in order. Byrds backup has been Vonn Bell, a second-round draft pick last spring.Starting strong safety Kenny Vaccaro, who also expects to play Sunday after sitting out Monday nights loss with ankle soreness, said its apparent coaches want to make sure the best 11 guys are out there.If you have to sit guyys, if you have to rotate guys, whatever that takes, its all about getting the win, Vaccaro said.ddddddddddddIt doesnt matter how much you make. It doesnt matter how many years youve been in the league.Byrd said he has been disappointed by his dip in big plays since his days with the Bills and knows he needs to find a way to make more for a unit that he described as unraveling in its latest performance.You can point to one thing here and there. They all equal losses, Byrd said. Its bigger than just me.The Saints defense has been beset by injuries. First-round draft choice Sheldon Rankins was expected to be a starter at tackle, but wont likely make his debut until midseason because of his broken leg suffered during preseason. Davisons absence on Monday left New Orleans with only three healthy defensive tackles against Atlanta.Thats not very much as far as a rotation goes, Davison said. People dont realize how much of a stamina sport football is, especially at (defensive) line.Dannell Ellerbe, arguably New Orleans top play-making linebacker, has not played yet this season because of a quad injury. He has been limited in practice this week and said hes not sure hell return this weekend. Now middle linebacker James Laurinaitis also is on the injury report with a quad injury, and his participation in Thursdays practice was limited. If hes not at full strength, Craig Robertson, who had been filling in for Ellerbe, could wind up starting at middle linebacker instead.While injuries havent helped, Vaccaro said, the Saints defense has to address problems that have less to do with talent than effort.Everybody needs to take ownership for their mistakes and what theyve done in these past couple games. We need to get better now. I dont care if youre old. I dont care if we dont have any depth, Vaccaro said. If you dont have (talent), you need to make up for it with hard work.Playing hard will erase a lot of mistakes, Vaccaro added. Ive wiped out a lot of plays by running to the ball and it had nothing to do with talent (or) scheme.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '