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ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Deciding to go for a game-winning two-point conversion in the final minute might not have been the boldest move Raiders coach Jack Del Rio made in Sundays season-opening win over the New Orleans Saints.Benching $38 million cornerback Sean Smith midway through the third quarter and sitting him for the remainder of the afternoon clearly stood out and raised eyebrows in Oaklands locker room as well as around the NFL.Smith was one of the marquee offseason additions made by general manager Reggie McKenzie yet Del Rio didnt hesitate to pull Smith after he failed to get a hand on Saints wideout Brandin Cooks and was beaten for a 98-yard touchdown.Its a move Smith agreed with, even if it came at his expense, and he said he was not surprised when it happened.Not at all, Smith said Tuesday. I was getting killed, Im not going to lie to you. It was getting bad out there. I was costing our team points. Coach did what he had to do. Obviously I would have loved to stay in and fight that thing out but coach made a decision on whats best for the team so Im going to ride with it.The Raiders expected Smith to bring stability to their secondary after nearly a half-decade of constant changes. They inked him to a four-year contract that included a $20 million signing bonus to lure Smith away from Kansas City.Smith got off to a decent enough start in New Orleans but struggled as the game went on, allowing a 49-yard completion before the Saints franchise-record 98-yarder from quarterback Drew Brees to Cooks.Thats when Del Rio made the decision to bench Smith in favor of former first-round draft pick DJ Hayden. Hayden was flagged for two pass interference penalties that helped sustain touchdown drives by the Saints after Smith was pulled from the game.I have to make those kinds of calls and guys have to trust my judgement, Del Rio said. Im going to always do what I think is best for the football team and thats what it was.Smith, who had 41 pass breakups and five interceptions during his three years in Kansas City, had no qualms with the decision.Just a bad day overall, bad technique, Smith said. Thats pretty much what it was, bad technique. You want to go out there with a game plan and execute and thats something that I didnt do.An eight-year veteran, Smith said he had never been benched in the middle of a game before Sunday.But if you play long enough youre going to have days like that, Smith said. You just have to move on, have a short-term memory and be ready to roll. Its over. Its just like any other job. I had a bad day at work. Its one game. Its not going to define myself, my career or this season. It was a bad day and Im ready to roll into Week 2.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Baltimore Orioles Store . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Baltimore Orioles Gear .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. https://www.cheaporioles.com/ . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Baltimore Orioles Pro Shop . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Baltimore Orioles Shirts . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning.CHICAGO -- It began with a convincing victory for the Blackhawks. Then Jimmy Howard and the Red Wings controlled the action for three straight games, pushing the NHLs top-seeded team to the brink of elimination. Then there was the response from Chicago, which found its offence in time to take two in a row and grab at least one more home date. Back and forth. Back and forth. So much rock and roll, and now The Rolling Stones will be the opening act for the dramatic conclusion. The Blackhawks are set to host the Red Wings in Game 7 on Wednesday, a night after the Stones play the United Center. "Were excited about the game," Chicago defenceman Duncan Keith said. "We know it is going to be the toughest game of the series and theyre going to be excited as well. Were going to have to play our best game of the year, best game of the series." Taking down the stage after Mick Jaggers last strut of the night and preparing the ice for thhe game will be a massive undertaking, but the Blackhawks arent worried about the surface.dddddddddddd After all, at one point they were a long shot to even get to this point. After Chicago opened the series with a 4-1 win, Detroit turned up the pressure and Howard made 86 saves in 88 opportunities during a brilliant stretch that pushed the Red Wings to a commanding 3-1 edge. The Blackhawks regained the momentum with another 4-1 victory in Game 5, and then stayed alive with a 4-3 win in Detroit on Monday night. Now the Red Wings get one day to regroup for their second Game 7 on the road this post-season. "I mean youve got to feel better about yourself coming off of two wins, but at the same time were keeping our feet on the ground, the same way we did when we were down 3-1 in the series," Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. "We know that its just one game at a time and you cant worry about too many things at once." ' ' '