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VANCOUVER - Jeff Tedford has returned to the CFL.Tedford, who played six seasons as a quarterback from 1983-88 with Hamilton, Calgary, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg, was named head coach of the B.C. Lions Friday.He replaces Mike Benevides in the position. Benevides was fired following B.C.s 50-17 loss to the Montreal Alouettes in the East Division semifinal.Tedford, 53, previously worked as an assistant under Lions general manager Wally Buono in Calgary from 1989-91.Ive always had fond memories and a soft spot in my heart for the CFL, both as a player and a coach, said Tedford during a late afternoon news conference at the Lions practice facility. I had great times doing both.Tedford helped the Stampeders reach the Grey Cup in 1991. The next season, he was hired as an offensive assistant at Fresno State where, as a quarterback for two seasons, he had set records for passing yardage (4,872) and touchdowns (35).He was later promoted to offensive co-ordinator at Fresno State (1993-97) and held the same position at Oregon (1998-2001) before he became the head coach at the University of California. He was named the Pac-10s top coach twice and led the Golden Bears to a conference title in 2006.Earlier this year, Tedford was hired to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive co-ordinator but left the team during the pre-season to undergo a heart procedure. That ultimately resulted in the two sides mutually agreeing to end his NFL deal, making Tedford available to join the Lions.While at Cal, Tedford tutored future NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington and Kyle Boller.Tedford says he is looking forward to developing a stable of young quarterbacks in B.C., which includes Rodgers younger brother Jordan and holdover Travis Partridge as well as veteran Travis Lulay, who sat out most of the 2014 season with a shoulder injury. The Lions finished last season 9-9, making the playoffs as the cross-over team in the East Division.Tedford says he came away very impressed from a meeting with Lulay this week and plans to work with him closely as he continues his recovery, which the coach views as critical to the teams success.Im very anxious to work with him closer, said Tedford. Thankfully, hes close enough to get here on a consistent basis, where we can visit.Tedford says he is also eager to organize his coaching staff and get to know veteran players. He was non-committal on the future of assistants, saying he had to discuss their goals with them and consider others with whom he has worked. But he wants to ensure that the Lions coaching staff has a considerable amount of CFL experience.After more than two decades away from the CFL, he does not believe it will be too difficult to reacquaint himself with three-down football.While I havent been following it that closely to understand all of the nuances of whats going on, I will get back into that very quickly, Tedford said. Ill watch a lot of tape.The Lions came under criticism last season for an inconsistent offence led by 14-year veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn, who has since been released. While Tedford is known for tutoring quarterbacks and offensive expertise, he wants to make sure the Lions excel on offence, defence and special teams.I believe its important to be solid in all three phases, he said. Im not going to be so worried about the past, Im really not. Im just focused on the future.Tedford has been spending the week in the Vancouver area getting familiar with the city. The late afternoon press conference was designed to accommodate his wife Donna, a Calgary native, who was eager to attend but had to fly in from Tampa Bay earlier in the day.The Tedfords, whose two sons were born in Calgary, are looking forward to resuming their life in Canada and having the chance to spend more time with Donnas family.This is a great opportunity because of where it is, he said. My wife can come back to Canada. My kids can come back to Canada.The new Lions coach called the move a lifestyle decision after he had two stents installed in his heart. He has been good to go for a couple of months.I have as much energy now as Ive ever had, Tedford said, adding he is focusing on exercising regularly and eating right.He and Buono took part in an official contract signing during the news conference. Tedford says the deal is only for two years, because the Lions did not offer a longer term.Insurance is one thing, but I wouldnt have moved my family 3,000 miles if I didnt feel pretty good about (the opportunity), he said.Tedford says he took the job because of his relationship with Buono and respect for the Lions franchise, which he always felt was difficult to play against.Buono, who kept in contact with Tedford over the years, says he is looking forward to having his former protege back in the fold and pleased with having someone who has built a solid career as a good advertisement for the CFL. But both Buono and Tedford dismissed the idea that the hiring was about helping the Lions rebuild.This is professional football and professional football is, and always will be, about winning, said Buono. Cheap NBA Jerseys . Armstrong was given the rank of "Chevalier" -- or Knight -- in the "Legion dHonneur" in 2005, the last year of his seven consecutive Tour de France victories. Amir Johnson Jersey . -- Fantasy football owners and Denver Broncos fans can rest easy: Peyton Manning is back. http://www.cheap76ersjerseys.com/?tag=ch...l-embiid-jersey. The 23-year-old McNabb was an All-Star with the American Hockey Leagues Rochester Americans this season, posting seven goals and 22 assists in 38 games. In 12 games with the Sabres this season, McNabb has accumulated six penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating. He has scored one goal and seven assists in 37 career games with the Sabres, who originally selected him in the third round (66th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Dario Saric Jersey .com) - Rakeem Christmas scored 21 points, B. Maurice Cheeks Jersey . - A week after a late-game debacle on defence, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed they can finish.INDIANAPOLIS -- Even in the midst of their worst month of the season, the Indiana Pacers are finding ways to win big games. On Friday night, the Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 91-79 to take a 13-game lead on the Bulls in the Central Division. The Pacers have won five of their last six games after losing four straight earlier this month -- the teams worst skid of the year. The win couldnt come at a better time. "In the NBA, a week looks like an eternity, so it feels like we havent been playing great in a while," Luis Scola said. "We needed it. We needed the confidence and we also needed the win." Scola had 19 points off the bench and Lance Stephenson finished with 15 for the Pacers (51-18), who went on a 19-0 run in the third quarter. Carlos Boozer was called for a Flagrant 1 foul with 7:31 left in the third, Roy Hibbert made two free throws and Stephenson made a basket to give the Pacers a 63-45 lead. DJ Augustin and Jimmy Butler each scored 17 points for the Bulls (38-31), who have lost two of their last three. The win also gave Indiana a 2-1 series lead over the Bulls. The Pacers will visit Memphis on Saturday and then Chicago on Monday before they host Miami on Wednesday. Paul George, who finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, also made a basket and dunked, David West scored twice and Stephenson made a basket, a dunk and converted a three-point play to help the Pacers pull away in the big run in the third quarter. "Im very proud of the team approach and the willingness to share the basketball and move the basketball," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "I think we did remind ourselves of who we are tonight." Vogels main point of emphasis heading into the game was sharing the ball. Indiana finished with 27 assists. The Bulls went on a 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter, but it wasnt enough. Joakim Noah scored a basket, Augustin made two free throws, Butler made another and Mike Dunleavy scored to make it 77-69 with 9:30 remaining. Scola scored to end the run and give Indiana a 779-69 lead.dddddddddddd Augustin made a layup, but Scola scored again and later made a layup and a free throw to give the Pacers an 84-71 lead with 4:27 remaining. Not much went right for Chicago, who shot just 36.4 per cent and was outrebounded 51-36. Chicago forward Taj Gibson felt wronged, too. He fouled out with 7:07 left in the fourth when he knocked Scola to the ground on a rebound. He was called for his fifth foul on the offensive end of the floor 30 seconds before fouling out. "I thought there was a lot of flopping going on out there," Gibson said. "Anytime you see that, it makes you think that you dont want to get a ticky-tack foul. It was a dog fight, a slug fest, and I thought a couple of calls didnt go our way and took some of our momentum away." A potential upcoming playoff preview. Scola broke away in the second quarter with 12 points. He made back-to-back baskets, Evan Turner scored, and Scola made another jumper in an 8-0 run at the start of the second quarter to give the Pacers a 27-23 lead. Scola scored to give the Pacers a 42-35 lead with 3:54 left in the first half before the Bulls went on a 6-0 run. Noah scored a pair of free throws, Gibson scored and Augustin made a layup to make it 42-41 with 1:48 left in the half. George Hill scored for Indiana and Augustin scored to make it 44-43 at halftime. NOTES: Indiana announced about an hour before tipoff that Andrew Bynum was out indefinitely with soreness and swelling in his right knee and said he would "continue to undergo treatment." Bynum, who signed with Indiana on Feb. 1 after being suspended in December by the Cleveland Cavaliers, made his debut with the Pacers against the Boston Celtics last week and played in just two games. ... The Bulls handed Indiana its first loss of the season back on Nov. 16 after the Pacers got off to their best start in franchise history. Derrick Rose and Luol Deng combined for 43 points in that game. This time, the Bulls didnt have either. Deng has since been traded and Rose hasnt played since Nov. 22. ' ' '