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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Growing up in rugby-crazed New Zealand, Paul Lasike dreamed one day of sharing a stadium with the countrys powerhouse national team, the All Blacks.In New Zealand, man, the All Blacks -- thats the team, Lasike said. You see those guys on buses, on the television news, at the train stations -- you see their pictures everywhere. They are the idols that everyone looks up to.Lasike, 26, finally gets to fulfill his lifelong quest, albeit in roundabout fashion, when the All Blacks travel to Chicago for a match versus Ireland on Saturday.A one-time star rugby player at Brigham Young University, Lasike made the switch to American football while in college, a decision that proved wise.Lasike (pronounced luh-SEE-kay), a native of Auckland, is currently a fullback on the Chicago Bears practice squad. He recently completed a stretch on Chicagos active roster, but the team had to make room for a defensive player coming back from injury prior to the Bears Oct. 20 game.As luck would have it, the All Blacks will be in Chicago the same week the Bears have their bye. So Lasike plans to be front and center for the match at Soldier Field, the Bears home stadium.I was so pumped to find out the All Blacks were playing in Chicago, man, Lasike said. My dad is coming out [from Brisbane, Australia] for the All Blacks game. He is so excited. I got box tickets, so he and I are going there. Its going to be a blast.I brought the family over for a game last year when I was on the Bears practice squad. It was their first football game. They had no idea what was going on, but they enjoyed the American culture, like the big lights and the fireworks. Its Americas game, you know. So they enjoyed that experience.But for the Lasikes -- Paul is the ninth of 10 children in a Kiwi-Tongan household -- playing in the NFL isnt the ultimate accomplishment.My family would be more impressed if I was an All Black, Lasike said with a grin.They grew up with rugby. When I made the NFL for the first couple of weeks, I Skyped my parents, and they were like, Oh, thats great. It wasnt like they went, Wow, thats crazy. I dont think they realize how big of a deal it is. If I was an All Black, they would be blown away.Still, Lasike was no slouch on the rugby pitch. BYU rugby coach David Smyth called Lasike the hardest-working player he has ever coached. Smyth first laid eyes on Lasike after he left New Zealand to enroll as an exchange student at Highland High School, a U.S. rugby powerhouse in Salt Lake City, for his senior year.Hes a phenomenal rugby player, said Smyth, who has guided BYU to five national championships. He has natural ability and a great skill set. On top of that, hes as hard a worker as weve ever had at BYU. When you add work ethic to the natural ability and skill set he already had, that equals success.Theres no doubt in my mind he could have played professional rugby somewhere. Hes a fairly humble kid, but hes going to work and work and work. ... Trust me when I tell you that Paul is one of the nicest and most humble kids off the field, but on the field he will rip your head off if you are standing between him and what he wants.Lasikes path toward the NFL started when Jay Omer, then the BYU football strength and conditioning coach, approached Lasike in the Cougars weight room.Omer felt Lasike possessed the tools to play football, but Lasike was skeptical.I was nervous to play football at first, Lasike said. Football is like an ego sport ... so I was kind of nervous to meet the football players. It was a little scary at first. The culture is a lot different in rugby. Its a lot less hype in rugby. Its weird, man. Its a totally different type of camaraderie.Lasike used the movie Remember the Titans to explain.When we watched it growing up in New Zealand, we were like, Wow, the coaches yell at their players to get them going. I never had a rugby coach yell at me. They would just explain things. If you fumble the ball in football, its a huge deal. If you fumble the ball in rugby, its not such a big deal. Getting after players and coaching style are the big differences. And, of course, the conditioning. Im a lot heavier now than when I played rugby.When Lasike returned from serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints after his freshman year, Smyth and Omer brought him to meet Bronco Mendenhall, BYUs head coach at the time. Paul came out for the team and he was just impressive in his size and his speed, said Mendenhall, who is now head coach at Virginia. It appeared that since he was already used to carrying the football the running back position would be a good spot for him.He was a scout-team player to begin with when we were teaching him the rules. We were first, second or third in every defensive category that year, and our defensive players did not want to tackle him or hit him because he was wreaking havoc on them as he was so tough.Lasike found a role on BYUs offense in a matter of weeks.Heres the thing about Paul, Mendenhall said. Hes an amazing piano player as well. We used to have devotionals before the games, home or away, and he would play the piano beautifully by ear. He is so kind, and with that English accent, he is the absolute gentleman. But when he is on the field, he is just ferocious.Lasike ended his BYU career with 843 rushing yards in 38 games (19 starts). He went undrafted in 2015 but signed with the Arizona Cardinals before joining the Bears, where he patiently awaits his next opportunity.I never try to take how far Ive come for granted, Lasike said. I know it can be cut off at any time. I always approach every day in the NFL like it is my last, because I know how huge it is. Not many people get to be in this situation. I have friends and stuff who I grew up playing rugby with, and theyre like, Bro, I cant believe you are there and Im here. So it kind of makes me realize this is a cool deal. Balenciaga Shoes Outlet Uk .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. Balenciaga Sneakers Discount . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. http://www.balenciagaoutletuk.com/ . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. "This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. Balenciaga Outlet Online Uk . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Balenciaga Sneakers Wholesale . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay.A season before the Ottawa RedBlacks take to the field, GM Marcel Desjardins is surely keeping a keen eye on quarterbacks around the league. With the updated expansion draft rules allowing member clubs to protect a maximum of one quarterback, Desjardins knows that come December he will have a real shot at landing a legit starter for the RedBlacks. Of course, who exactly will made available to him remains a guessing game at this point, and will remain so until the other eight teams decide which of their QBs to protect. Some cases are easy. Travis Lulay isnt going anywhere in BC. Ditto Ricky Ray in Toronto, Darian Durant in Saskatchewan, and if healthy, Drew Tate in Calgary. Some teams however, have harder decisions to make. In Hamilton, GM and head coach Kent Austin will have to decide between his established, albeit aging starter Henry Burris, and one of his younger, potential-filled backups, be it Dan LeFevour or Brian Brohm. An even more extreme scenario could play out in Montreal. Should he wish to return for a 21st season in the league, the Alouettes almost have to pprotect Anthony Calvillo.dddddddddddd. Of course, if not protected it would seem Calvillo would sooner retire than play for another team, especially an expansion franchise will little chance of initial success. And even if a Burris or Calvillo is left unprotected, does Desjardins want to build his roster around a QB that would seemingly have just a season or two left in the tank? Maybe the most enticing QB situation is in Edmonton. The Eskimos have two young QBs who have shown they have what it takes to be a starter in this league in Mike Reilly and Matt Nichols. Logic would dictate that Desjardins would simply select whomever the Eskimos dont protect, but Nichols season-ending knee injury may have thrown a wrench in that plan. Maybe the answer is someone not even on the radar right now. There is a full season to evaluate each teams stable of QBs, so somebody could come out of nowhere to catch Desjardins attention. The Rouge asks: Who should be at the top of Desjardins watch list a season out from the RedBlacks expansion draft? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '