ider he will face compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarterfina

KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- B.C. Lions head coach Mike Benevides says his team has a better handle on what makes Khalif Mitchell tick this time around. The hulking defensive tackle helped the Lions win the 2011 Grey Cup, however a series of incidents on an off the field the following season precipitated a trade to the Toronto Argonauts prior to the 2013 campaign. The mercurial Mitchell rebounded in Toronto and asked for his release from the Argos to pursue NFL opportunities this winter, but when those failed to materialized the Lions surprised the rest of the CFL by bringing him back into the fold. "I think hes a person thats matured. Hes a person thats experienced some things," Benevides said at training camp this week. "The biggest thing I see is everybody else understanding who he is. "I think hes very conscious of whats occurring and whats going on around him. What people need to know is he is not a bad person. Hes a good person." Benevides would know. He was the Lions defensive co-ordinator back in 2011 when Mitchell had his best season, compiling 33 tackles and six sacks. "I see everybody understanding who he is and sometimes you have a misconception or you dont understand someone and that sometimes creates issues," said Benevides. "Khalif is a very charismatic guy, hes a very passionate guy. He enjoys the game. His teammates and his team and the guys around him are very important to him." But it was those teammates who wanted him out the door after the six-foot-six, 315-pound Mitchell made headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2012. The league suspended him two games for violently hyperextending the arm of an opponent that July before fining him an unspecified amount for making multiple throat-slashing gestures in another game. Mitchell was then fined and suspended again for violating the CFLs social media policy after using a racial slur on Twitter. Benevides said the teams leadership group was consulted when the idea to was first floated to bring Mitchell back, and it was agreed that all parties could move on and work towards winning the Grey Cup, which the Lions host in November. "It was a long process and discussion. There was a lot of guys that I spoke to and they were the ones who said Bring him back in the room," said Benevides. "At the end of the day we all have a job to do and thats win." But while his coach has seen growth and maturity, the 29-year-old Mitchell emphasized hes still the same person in many ways. "I havent changed who I am. Even when I came back to B.C. I was like Im going to be Khalif and they were like We understand that," said Mitchell, referring to himself in the third person. "I think a lot of people dont understand who Khalif is because a lot of people only see me in football or from the negative things that Ive produced in the media." Lions running back Andrew Harris expressed delight when Mitchell was traded last year, tweeting "Good riddance!!!!" after the deal with the Argos was announced. The Winnipeg native said hes willing to move on because of Mitchells unique skill set and a hope that he has learned from his mistakes. "Khalif is a beast. Hes a guy that can help us win football games, and thats the most important things," said Harris. "All the off-field stuff that happened in the past, its just maturing from that now. Things happen with people and youve just got to move on from that and trust that there will be better judgement in the future. "Theres definitely no animosity between us. Were teammates now and were just working together for the one goal and thats the Grey Cup." Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian added that there werent any awkward conversations when Mitchell walked back into the locker-room. "I think the guys all know Khalif, and thats the biggest thing for us," said Elimimian. "We know that hes a good guy. We know he means well. We know that hes a very bright man. But also the thing is hes a great football player and thats what we need in the locker-room and on the field." Lions defensive back Ryan Phillips said it was made clear to Mitchell upon his return that he can be himself as long as it doesnt hurt the team. "Just understand that theres consequences to mistakes," said Phillips. "Hes grown up from that. We know the dominant player he can be as long as hes focused on football." Theres no doubt that Mitchell will help an already solid defence get better. The Lions surrendered the second fewest rushing yards per game (94.4) in 2013, but allowed the second most rushing touchdowns (17) and recorded the third fewest sacks (45). Mitchell put the drama from 2012 behind him and nearly matched his 2011 numbers while playing with Toronto last season, registering 32 tackles and five sacks. "In order to be successful in our division, youve got to be very good against the run. Youve got to be big inside," said Benevides. "Hes another big, effective body that can have an impact in the interior line of scrimmage, and good teams win at the line of scrimmage." Mitchell said he never expected to return to the West Coast after his messy divorce with the Lions last year, but is ready to do what he does best -- stop the run and get after the quarterback. "I definitely wasnt expecting to come back. Im sure when they told me Good riddance and Bye they werent expecting me to come back either," he said. "Im here now and regardless of what the situation was, at the end of the day weve got to win a championship." Nike Air Max Deluxe Nz . -- Ricky Romeros comeback bid hit another road bump Tuesday in an ugly 18-4 Jays loss to a Detroit Tigers split squad. Nike Air Max Motion Nz . Ferguson told Uniteds in-house TV channel on Saturday that he has no immediate plans to walk away from the game, and that he still hungers for more trophies even after 25 years in charge of the club. http://www.airmaxnzwholeale.com/cheap-air-max-tavas-nz.html .com) - Fair Grounds commences its road to the Kentucky Derby Saturday with the 71st running of the $200,000 Lecomte Stakes. Nike Air Max NZ Womens .ca NBA Power Rankings. Winners of 15 straight, with a healthy roster, the Spurs have overtaken the Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder for the number one ranking. Nike Air Max NZ Mens . The Swiss won on the fastest run-time tiebreaker after the four-racer teams tied 2-2. Wendy Holdener and Reto Schmidiger won their final heats against Julia Mancuso and Tim Jitloff, respectively. HALLE, Germany -- Rafael Nadal was knocked out in the second round of the grass-court Gerry Weber Open on Thursday, losing 6-4, 6-1 to German wild card Dustin Brown. "I didnt play," Nadal said. "That can happen when you play an opponent like this. But I dont want to talk about the opponent." Brown, the world No. 85, broke Nadals serve at the fifth attempt to win the first set, and he pulled off two audacious lobs in succession to break the Spaniard again early in the second. Nothing Nadal tried seemed to work in his first match since winning his ninth French Open title. He had a first-round bye at Halle, where he was the top seed. "The only way I could have tried to do more was resisting with my serve, something I hadnt practiced a lot these days," said Nadal, who was unnerved by Browns unpredictability. "For the first four games he didnt put any returns on the court and then suddenly he was playing winners from the return, so its difficult to analyze these kinds of matches. The only thing I can do is keep working the way that I did the last three days, because I came here, I tried hard, I tried my best." Brown became the lowest ranked player to beat a world No. 1 since 2008, when No. 98 Mardy Fish beat Roger Federer at Indian Wells. "I never played against a world No. 1 before, never played him before, soo this is just crazy for me," the player with the distinctive dreadlocks said.dddddddddddd Brown said it was too soon to consider he will face compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarterfinals. "I havent thought about that at all yet. Im going to enjoy this," Brown said. Federer began his preparations for Wimbledon by coming from behind to beat Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-2. Sousa saved all five break points he faced before taking the first set in a tiebreaker, but the second-seeded Federer raised his level in the next two sets to win the second-round match and move into the quarterfinals. "It was important to stay calm, and actually it gives me more confidence winning this way than maybe just 6-4, 6-4 and you dont quite know what is going on," said Federer, who acknowledged he was worried after losing the first set. It was the seven-time Wimbledon winners first match since losing in the fourth round at the French Open to Ernests Gulbis. He also had a first-round bye in Halle, where he is a six-time champion. He will next play Taiwans Lu Yen-hsun, who defeated Croatias Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3). Steve Johnson is through to the quarterfinals after Teymuraz Gabashvili pulled out of their second-round match with a right knee injury. The American lined up fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori on Friday. ' ' '