s season, West Coasts flag hopes appear doomed.Na

AUSTIN, Texas -- While Charlie Strong stood at a podium Monday and answered questions about whether hes about to lose his job, his Texas?football players stood behind him.The players crowded together behind reporters and cameras inside the Centennial Room at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium and listened to Strong insist his fate hasnt been decided and that he wants to return in 2017.When Strongs 28-minute news conference ended, the players gave him a round of applause. Strong hugged and thanked each of his players, who say they are upset about reports that Strongs tenure will come to an end after Texas faces TCU on Friday and that they are hopeful one more win will buy Strong another year in Austin.Texas defensive tackle Paul Boyette Jr. was moved to tears while making his passionate defense of Strong on Monday. A senior, Boyette said Strong taught him to become a man and hasnt been given enough time to turn the program around. Hes hoping for a swift resolution to all the uncertainty, too.No person deserves to be in this type of limbo at all, Boyette said.Boyette said he never thought Texas would end up in this predicament this season. He said he believes that, despite his coachs 16-20 record in Austin, Strong has built a foundation for the program and set it up for big success in 2017 and beyond.Players agreed with Strongs argument Monday that the Longhorns will play for a national championship again in the near future. They believe theyre close, even after a 24-21 overtime loss to 2-9 Kansas that made them 5-6 and 3-5 in the Big 12.Boyette praised the personal bonds Strong has build with his players and said most people dont understand what he and his team have gone through with the persistent speculation about Strongs job.I dont think youre ever going to find a head coach who loves his players like he does and genuinely cares, Boyette said. The things people see on Saturdays ... life is way more than that.Texas quarterback Shane Buechele said hes confident the team will fight hard against TCU (5-5, 3-4 Big 12) to try to save Strongs job, even if they dont know what will come next after the game.Were just trying to come together as a family, trying to support our coach and a guy we feel is really important to our family, Buechele said. I cant say enough. It shows how much support we have for him today.Texas players shot down the speculation that they might boycott the regular-season finale. Wide receiver Jacorey Warrick said Strong would never let that happen. They know how important a win would be for Strong and for his senior class clinching a bowl bid.Fellow quarterback Tyrone Swoopes and the rest of the Longhorns departing senior class have already gone through a coaching change before, when Mack Brown resigned after the 2013 season. When asked about going through this all over again with Strong, Swoopes replied, Its normal.The Longhorns players know all they can do right now to support their coach is give him a win Friday afternoon.Said Warrick: Well leave it all on the line. Jaylon Smith Jersey .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Amari Cooper Womens Jersey . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. https://www.cowboyssportsgoods.com/Womens-Larry-Allen-Inverted-Jersey/ . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Emmitt Smith Jersey . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. Leighton Vander Esch Womens Jersey . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. West Coast coach Adam Simpson has urged fans not to write off the Eagles premiership hopes just yet, saying the team can still contend for the flag even if Nic Naitanui has torn his ACL.Simpson is bracing for the worst after Naitanui injured his left knee while landing awkwardly during Friday nights 25-point win over Hawthorn at Domain Stadium.Naitanui was on crutches after the match, and the early signs indicate he has torn his anterior cruciate ligament.Scans over the weekend will confirm the extent of the damage.I fear for the worst, hope for the best at the moment. It doesnt look great, a shattered Simpson said.When any of your soldiers get hurt like that, youre going to feel for them.With Naitanui almost certain to play no further part this season, West Coasts flag hopes appear doomed.Naitanui played pivotal roles in recent wins over premiership hopefuls GWS and Hawthorn.The 2012 All-Australian kicked the winning goal against the Giants, aand he was pivotal in the ruck against Hawthorn before getting injured in the third quarter.ddddddddddddWest Coast struggled earlier this season when Naitanui missed six games with an Achilles tendon injury.Although the Eagles ended up winning five of those matches, they were mostly against easy beats.But Simpson is adamant his team can still cause some damage this year, even if its from outside the top four and without Naitanui.Hes one of our best players, and we saw the influence hes had in the past few weeks, Simpson said.But we need to mature to a point where we dont have to rely on just one player to get it done.Its another test for us, which our boys are looking forward to. Its been a different year, but weve found a way to win 15 games.Dont write us off. The seasons still alive and were up for the challenge. ' ' '