NEWS » tter option. Franchise-type quarterb

Matthew Dellavedova was skeptical at first.Delly had just become a sneaker free-agent after years with Nike, wearing mostly Kobe Bryants signature shoe, so when Peak approached him with an idea to design a signature shoe especially for him, and also an apparel range under the Peak Australia banner, Dellavedova was understandably taken aback, but curious at the same time.I was a bit surprised to start with, but once I talked to [Peak Australia] they explained that Id have a lot of involvement in the development of the shoe, Dellavedova says.The allure of being the first Australian with his own signature basketball shoe appealed to Dellavedova. Sure, Andrew Gaze had a Gaze-branded shoe with Dunlop some years back, but not as an actual signature basketball shoe. When talks progressed to include apparel as well, Dellavedovas signing with the brand became an opportunity too good to pass up.We saw a real opportunity to develop a signature shoe for the Australian market and to promote basketball in Australia, Peak Australia chief executive Greg Bickley told ESPN. The shoe is the cornerstone of the range, but also were developing a running shoe, a casual shoe and a range of apparel under the Delly brand.Designing a shoe to an athletes individual specifications is a painstaking trial-and-error process of sorts. A company will begin with a prototype that the athlete wear-tests, the athlete then gives his feedback on improvements that can be made, along with things they particularly like and dislike. The process goes on for months until the athlete is satisfied with the final product.Dellavedova was hands-on with the Delly 1s development from day one.Peak Australia and Dellavedova went through five or six prototypes until the shoe met the specifications of the Bucks point guard.I had a whole lot of involvement with the shoe, Dellavedova says. I wanted a low-cut shoe that was light and close to the ground because I need to guard all these quick guards that are tough to defend over here [in the NBA]. They [Peak] did a great job with that, and as we went through the process of me testing it we just made minor adjustments.I was very particular about my shoe because thats the most important piece of equipment you wear in basketball.Some final adjustments were needed after Dellavedova saw an increase in his playing time as a starter with Milwaukee. The extra minutes on the floor meant that the Delly 1 required more cushioning to better help protect Dellavedovas feet. Wed developed a shoe which was what he wanted - it was low and fast, close to the ground, and modelled on the type of shoes that hed been wearing for many years, says Bickley. Thats what he wanted.Hes playing a lot more minutes [so] the demands on his shoe have certainly increased. We went into more development with the outsole and the cushioning that he needed because he was really putting a lot more demands on the shoe, so the shoe that hes wearing now is the final prototype that will now go into production.It was a typical cold and blustery late-June Melbourne morning.Darkness still cloaked the city as the sound of the overnight street sweepers had given way to trams taking early morning commuters to work.Matt Hammond, co-owner of Kickz101, one of Australias leading speciality basketball stores. made his way to work a little earlier than normal for a weekday. This was, after all, a big day for not only his store, but for basketball fans in Melbourne. Nestled right in the heart of the citys business district, its not uncommon for kids to be seen lining up outside Kickz101 on Saturday mornings when the latest sneakers are released.Hammond is accustomed to the sneaker drops - hes been handling those for years, but on this day, he had to orchestrate something entirely different. At 10am, Matthew Dellavedova, member of the recently crowned NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers, was scheduled to make an in-store appearance.Hammond arrived at work at 6:30am to a group of about 20-30 kids braving the cold and lining up to be part of the first throng of people to greet Delly when he arrived. Hammond asked the group when they had arrived: 1am, they replied.That was just the beginning.Not long after that the line just started growing, and growing, and growing fairly quickly, Hammond remembers. [Delly was due] in around 10, so I think it was probably around 9 oclock that the line had already gone around the corner, down Collins St and around the corner on Elizabeth St. By the time he arrived around 10, the line had gone down Elizabeth, and snaked all around back up to Little Flinders. It was a pretty huge line. As people were going to work they were asking us, whats going on?Hammond estimates the number of people waiting to see Delly reached between 1,500 to 2,000, including people from country Victoria, Tasmania, and even a girl who had flown in from Cleveland for the event, which speaks to the popularity of the Maryborough product.It became a production line of sorts trying to get as many people in the store to meet-and-greet the Aussie.As Delly is, hes very polite, laid-back sort of guy. He was nice with everyone. Right on 10 we opened the doors and started filing people through, says Hammond. He was there for two hours, and a lot of people didnt get a chance [to meet him] but a lot of people did.Its a great reaction to a guy thats local. Weve had [Melbourne-born NBA star] Kyrie (Irving) at our old location and that was huge - if we had Kyrie out now we would have had a huge crowd [also], but it shows that even for a local player, theres a massive, massive respect. Of course, it helped that he played for Cleveland and had just won a championship. Its a real healthy sign for the guys that play in the NBA that there is a lot of love for them.Walk the streets of Australia and check the feet of anyone whos into sneakers, chances are that rarely will you see a pair of Peak shoes. Peak is still a fledgling company in the basketball sneaker world, but theyre hoping to make a dent in the market similar to what Under Armour did in recent years with Steph Curry. Granted, Dellavedova doesnt possess the global appeal of the two-time MVP of the Golden State Warriors, but he does have homegrown support as a foundation to build on.That support will largely come from the grassroots level, according to Hammond, who believes regional locations will be where Peak targets its marketing of the shoe.I think from talking to the guys at Peak, the [majority of] sales for them will come from the regional stores, he says. Country and regional locations which, for them, they get very limited basketball footwear range, and because Delly is from country Victoria, that market will do quite well with the shoe.Popularity with Aussie NBA fans is one thing, but the challenge facing the Delly 1 will be translating that popularity into sales of footwear and apparel. Hammond, who understands the basketball footwear landscape in Australia better than most, feels that the stranglehold established behemoths Nike and adidas have on the market could be the biggest hurdle to overcome for the Delly 1.One thing we are a little wary of is the price ($160 AUD) - its not necessarily a cheap shoe here, says Hammond. The Kyrie 2 is $160 retail [so] were wondering, is the consumer going to come in and buy Dellys shoe just because its Delly, or are they going to weigh up, and go with the Kyrie because it is a Nike and they have the runs on the board?Thats one area to be mindful of, and will people pay that price for a brand thats not necessarily premium here?In saying that, were still confident itll sell quite well.Will sales be the sole barometer the company used to judge the success of the Delly 1, or is resonating with the sneaker consumer just as crucial at this stage of development?I think sales will be [a barometer], says Bickley. Were in the business to make money, but [also] provide a product that is high quality, and give the Australian market a sense of something new, something different.Its definitely gonna sell, adds Hammond. Its not gonna fly out the store like a Kyrie does, or the main signature product from Nike or adidas, but were definitely having people asking us quite regularly about it.Although regional Australia will be the target demographic, Peak have plans to make a global push once the Delly 1 hits retailers. Peak China (where the company headquarters are located) have some very exciting plans for Matthew as an athlete all around the world, says Bickley. His product will be going into countries all around the world. Theyve already got orders from Europe, South America, Asia .... its a massive uplift in his profile.Were excited for what it will mean for him as a Delly brand, but also for Peak to have an athlete of his calibre as a person under their brand. Hes a great ambassador for the brand. Hes the ultimate role model for Australian kids, not just as a basketball player, but as a person.Even now, with the shoe already in production and scheduled for retail release in March or April next year, for a kid from Maryborough, Victoria, its still a little surreal for Dellavedova to grasp that he has his own shoe and apparel range. Its something that he never imagined possible.I never thought that would happen, that thought never really crossed my mind [but] its very cool and I cant wait for them to start getting sold in Australia, he says.Itll be cool to see somebody wearing them up in the local stadium in Maryborough. Brett Favre Super Bowl Jersey . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. ZaDarius Smith Super Bowl Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. 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He said the defendants went "way over the line. ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- During Tyrod Taylors bid to establish himself as the Bills unquestioned leader, its understandable for the quarterback to bristle when challenged about his long-term future in Buffalo.That was the case last week when Taylor gave a terse answer after being asked to assess his progress midway through his second season as Buffalos starter.You all are going to write what you all want to write anyways, he said. So thats up to you all.Taylor provided a more assertive response with his performance in Buffalos 31-25 loss at Seattle on Monday night.Though the Bills (4-5) didnt win entering their bye week off, Taylor enjoyed what was regarded as one of his most complete outings. Playing on a national prime-time stage and in one of the NFLs most intimidating environments, Taylor went 27 of 38 for 289 yards with two touchdowns (including one rushing) and an interception. He oversaw an offense that produced 425 yards, the most Seattles allowed at home in nearly a year. And the Bills finished with 30 first downs, including 16 passing, their most in two years.He was lights out, running back LeSean McCoy said of Taylor. That was probably one of his better games and it sucked that we couldnt get him a win.The question remains whether this was Taylors coming-out party or another blip on an inconsistent resume for a quarterback with a 12-11 record.What drives the discussion further is Taylors contract status. Despite signing a lucrative five-year extension in August, Taylors future is not secure. The Bills can opt out of the deal after this season.The front-office hasnt provided any hints, though coach Rex Ryan continues to praise his starter.I think the country got to see the kind of ability that this young man has, Ryan said following the game at Seattle. Tyrod plays well every game. I wish I wasnt the only one that sees it.At 6-foot-1, Taylor lacks the prototypical size of an NFL quarterback, though he makes up for his limitations with his dynamic scrambling ability.He ranks 24th in the NFL with 1,769 yards passing; is 25th with a 60.4 completion percentage among players with 100 or more attempts; and his 87.7 passer rating is 31st. On the positive side, Taylor leads NFL quarterbacks with 362 yards rushing and ranks 10th in attempts (268) versus interceptions (three).Whats difficult to take into account is how injuries to Buffalos top three receivers have affected Taylors production. Sammy Watkins has missed seven games. Robert Woods has been hobbled by a right foot injury. Marquise Goodwin has been in and out of the lineup with several injuries. And that doesnt include McCoy being hampered for a few weeks by a left hamstring problem.Another issue is the time its taken Taylor to adapt since Anthony Lynn took over as offensive coordinator after Greg Roman was fired two games into the seeason.ddddddddddddI look at the quarterback play and see if the balls going where its supposed to go and on time. And hes done a pretty good job of that, Lynn said. He has missed some throws, dont get me wrong, but all quarterbacks miss throws, so I think hes playing fine.Is he playing well enough to influence victories?Before Monday, Taylor had similar numbers in Buffalos four wins (668 yards passing, six touchdowns, including one rushing, and two turnovers), as he had in four losses (812 yards passing, six touchdowns, including two rushing, and an interception).The big difference was Buffalo combined for 462 more yards rushing in its wins than losses, an indication of how much the offense relies on McCoys presence .Thats the way were built, so were not going to have as many pass attempts as most people, Lynn said.And yet, leaning on a running game makes it difficult for teams to play catch-up.Overcoming deficits has been the most troubling concern under Taylor. Hes 1-11 when Buffalo falls behind by four or more points at any point in a game, and has engineered just two wins when Buffalos tied or trailing in fourth quarter.Performing in the clutch is one issue general manager Doug Whaley brought up in January when reviewing Taylor.It is going to come down to those last-second heroics, where we have to put the team and the game and the ball in his hands, and he carries us down and wins the game for us, Whaley said.He did it in Tennessee, so its there, he said, referring to a 14-13 win last October. We just want to see it more often.Taylor said he cant pinpoint why the Bills have struggled when trailing.Comeback victories arent something that are the norm in this league, Taylor said. Its just not our team, its 32 teams in this league.Thats not entirely the case.In 774 games since the start of the 2015 season, 161 teams have won when trailing by four or more points. Three teams did it last week alone, including Seattle.Former Chicago Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel says its difficult to reach a conclusion about Taylor. Ultimately, he said the Bills decision hinges on whether they believe Taylor can continue developing, and whether theres a better option. Franchise-type quarterbacks arent readily available in free agency, and they have to be developed when drafted.As the season progresses, going down the wire, theres going to be important games. How does he play in those games and do you see the arrow going up? Gabriel said. If you cant say yes to that, then make a change. If you can say yes to it, then its wise to keep him because its just too hard to find these guys.Stay tuned.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '