Wartezimmer » n: The Huskies defense and passing attack are every

CHASKA, Minn. -- Two days before the Ryder Cup, Phil Mickelson went back 12 years to drive home a point that the Americans are prepared to play their best golf.And along the way, he disparaged yet another former captain.This time, his target was Hal Sutton.Mickelson was the catalyst for change at the last Ryder Cup when he publicly questioned Tom Watsons heavy-handed style -- with Watson sitting at the same table -- after another American loss at Gleneagles. That led to the PGA of America creating a task force allowing for player involvement.When you look back on what the difference is, when players are put in a position to succeed, more often than not they tend to succeed, Mickelson said. And when they are put in positions to fail, most of the time they tend to fail.In a conversation Wednesday on how much a captain matters in the Ryder Cup, Mickelson looked across the room and said, Let me give you an example, if I may.He went back to 2004 when the Americans suffered their worst loss ever in the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills. Nothing illustrated their failure more than when U.S. captain Hal Sutton put Mickelson and Tiger Woods together for the first time. They lost two matches in one day.Mickelson was lampooned that week for practicing on an adjacent course as he tried to adjust to the golf ball used by Woods.We ended up not playing well. Was that the problem? I mean, maybe, Mickelson said. But we were told two days before that we were playing together, and that gave us no time to work together and prepare.Mickelson said having to learn how to hit a different golf ball forced him to abandon his own preparations to get sharp.In the history of my career, I have never ball-tested two days prior to a major, Mickelson said. It doesnt allow me to play my best. What allows me to play my best is to learn the course, sharpen my touch on the greens, sharpen my chipping out of the rough and ball-striking and so forth. Instead, Im taking four or five hours, and Im out trying to learn another ball to allow us to play our best.Mickelson said he wasnt trying to knock Sutton. He said he liked how decisive Sutton was that week.But thats an example of starting with the captain. That put us in a position to fail. And we failed monumentally, absolutely, he said. But to say, `Well, you just need to play better, that is so misinformed. Because you will play how you prepare.Sutton was bemused that Mickelson would bring that up now.My God, somebodys got to be the fall guy, he told Golfweek magazine. If it needs to be me, I can be that. I dont have anything to say to that. My God. The world saw what happened. They saw it. I didnt have to cover it up. ... I find it amusing that thats an issue at the 2016 Ryder Cup. I think Phil better get his mind on what he needs to have it on this week instead of on something that happened 10 years ago. ...It couldnt be their fault, he said. It had to be somebody elses fault. It had to be Hal Suttons fault. Had to be.U.S. captain Davis Love III said Mickelson was only trying to set the record straight because some analysts just keep bringing it up over and over and over again, though Mickelson mentioned Oakland Hills unprompted in his news conference.And Mickelson failed to mention that he switched equipment from Titleist to Callaway a week before the matches.Hal was an incredible captain, said Love, who played on that team and went 1-3-1. I think Phil is looking forward to whats happened over the last year and weve learned a lot from all of our past captains on how we need to do this together.He said Sutton was with the U.S. team on Tuesday night and it was an inspiration to see him.Mickelson is more optimistic than ever that the Americans can end two decades of futility against Europe, which has won eight of the last 10 times. Mickelson is playing his record 11th straight Ryder Cup, qualifying for every one of those teams, yet he has been on the winning side only twice.Two years ago, he was visibly angry after the loss at Gleneagles about the U.S. getting away from what worked under Paul Azinger in a rare 2008 victory, and what seems to work every year at the Presidents Cup against an international team that is not nearly as formidable as Europe.Love was captain at Medinah in 2012 when the Americans had a 10-6 lead going into singles, only to win three of the 12 singles matches as Europe rallied to win. Mickelson and Woods were part of that task force that agreed to bring Love back.This is a year where we feel as though Captain Love has been putting us in a position to succeed, Mickelson said. Hes taken input from all parties. Hes making decisions that have allowed us to prepare our best and play our best, and I believe that we will play our best. Terry McLaurin Redskins Jersey . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Sammy Baugh Redskins Jersey . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. https://www.redskinssportsgoods.com/Womens-Earnest-Byner-Inverted-Jersey/ . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. Landon Collins Redskins Jersey .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. John Riggins Youth Jersey . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. SEATTLE -- Jake Browning has thrown for 581 yards and eight touchdowns in Washingtons first two games.Though Browning as yet to play in a fourth quarter in No. 8 Washingtons victories against lesser opponents Rutgers and Idaho, coach Chris Petersen believes he has even more to offer with a little more refinement.Browning matched Washingtons school record with five touchdown passes -- two each to Dante Pettis and John Ross -- and finished with 294 yards in the No. 8 Huskies 59-14 romp over Idaho on Saturday.Browning has helped Washington (2-0) to its highest ranking since 2001.Hes done a real nice job, head coach Chris Petersen said of Browning. Hes completing a lot of passes. Hes keeping his eyes downfield. Hes buying time, all those things that good quarterbacks do.After throwing for 287 yards and three touchdowns last week against Rutgers, Browning was nearly flawless against Idaho. He completed 23 of 28 passes for 294 yards and deferred to backup K.J. Carta-Samuels after the opening drive of the third quarter following his fifth touchdown pass of the day, an 8-yard strike to Ross that gave Washington a 42-0 lead.While the production has been stellar, its the process that will yield the consistency needed when conference play begins. Thats where Petersen feels there is still room to grow.I think the thing that is interesting is I still think there is some things were cleaning up with him, Petersen said. When you go back, what I really want to look at is did he need to escape? Did he have things he could have got the ball out? I know on one early on -- I think he threw a touchdown -- I think he didnt need to make it so spectacular.Against Idaho, it was still more than enough.Following a fumble on the opening kickoff by Lloyd Hightower that was recovered by Washington, Browning threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Pettis on his first attempt of the game. He completed 13 consecutive passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns in the second quarter as the Huskies built a 35-0 halftime advantage.We didnt really do anything crazy, Browning said. Just go in, run our stuff and execute well.Browning joined Keith Price (2012), Jake Locker (2010) and Chris Rowlland (1973) as the only Huskies to throw five touchdown passes in a game.dddddddddddd.The Vandals (1-1) kept it in reach in the first quarter. Kaden Elliss forced a fumble on a sack of Browning to give Idaho the ball in Washington territory. But after driving into the red zone, Jacob Sannon fumbled at the 1 after a hit from Jojo McIntosh, and Azeem Victor recovered to keep Idaho out of the end zone.We got whooped, Idaho coach Paul Petrino said. We got whooped but I thought our guys stayed fighting in the second half.Washington scored 35 straight points afterward before the Vandals finally got on the board with a 20-yard pass from Matt Linehan to Trent Cowan in the third quarter.THE TAKEAWAYIdaho: Idaho lost its road opener against Pac-12 foe USC 59-9 in 2015. The Vandals foray against Pac-12 opposition wasnt much better. The Vandals forced just six incompletions in 33 pass attempts by Washington. Theyll face an even more pass-happy opponent in Washington State next week.Washington: The Huskies defense and passing attack are every bit that of a Top 10 team. However, the rushing attack has struggled in the first two weeks. Myles Gaskin has rushed for just 124 yards through two games after being thought of as a fringe Heisman Trophy candidate before the season.UP NEXTIdaho: The Vandals will face a second straight Pac-12 foe in Washington State. They will make the short eight-mile trip to Martin Stadium for their first meeting in three years.Washington: The Huskies host FCS Portland State in their final test before the start of Pac-12 play.POLL IMPLICATIONSWashington will remain in the Top 10 this week after the convincing victory and is likely to stay there into the start of Pac-12 play with another non-conference warmup against FCS Portland State next week.LAST WORDThey felt like it, Petrino said about Washingtons No. 8 ranking. The hitting, hearing the hitting, defensively they definitely felt like it. Offensively, their speed is like it. So I wouldnt be surprised if theyre there at the end of the year, thats for sure. ' ' '