Dane Swan was an old-school footballer, a one-off in the modern, professional context. His method of preparation came from the 1980s, with a barrel of beer on Sunday mornings and no sleep on a weekend full of trawling in the night clubs.His indifference to training (at least on the track) is legendary at Collingwood, although he would smash 500-metre runs on the treadmill in the altitude room at the Holden Centre when no one was watching, so he could run taggers off their legs on the weekend.He had no interest in watching his edits with the line coaches on a Monday and not much love for the tactics and numbers that swamp the game now. He ran with a waddle and his kicking was problematic (although ironically, he would rarely miss when near goal).When he arrived at Collingwood at the end of 2001 at the bargain pick of No. 58 in the super draft, he had just completed a week of drinking at schoolies on the Gold Coast, and was fearfully hungover. Famously, he had declined the clubs offer to fly him home early to join training, preferring to stay with his mates, revealing a pattern that stayed with him to this day.Nothing about him suggested he could become what he did. But in time, Collingwood learned that if you put a footy between him and an opponent on match day, he would most often get it. In that sense, Swans greatness is simple. He ran to the ends of the ground like few others, and he could find the football (27 times a game over his 258 game career). Later, they realised that he could mark overhead and kick goals and that on big occasions, he was nerveless, a great match-day performer.It was an impressive package, and his record speaks for itself. Three Copeland Trophies (and four other top-three finishes) through a period when Collingwood won a flag, lost another grand final and was generally thereabouts, a Brownlow Medal, and an AFL MVP award are not to be sniffed at. He has a claim to be in top 10 Collingwood players of all time, along with Nathan Buckley, Bob Rose, Peter Daicos the Coventrys and Co.As Mick Malthouse has observed, his game spoke for itself, and he never needed to shout about it. In fact, Swan perpetrated a con act on the football world over more than a decade, convincing it that he did not care for the game. The unchanging facial expression, the deadpan commentary on a rare occasion when he appeared in the media, they all were part of his cunning plan. The Illusionist one newspaper headline writer called him a few years ago, and it was spot on, although over time, people woke up to how good he actually was.Swan never took himself too seriously, never pretended the game bigger than what it was. Once, he loaned his Brownlow to a mate so that he could surprise people by showing it, and for a time, did not know where it was. To him, family and friends came way before football, and he sought means of expressing himself, mainly through his tattoos.Nothings ever my fault - just ask my grandparents, he observed at his retirement media conference at Collingwood on Tuesday, a production in itself.His sporting hero was Allen Iverson, the NBA superstar who popularised full-body tattoos among athletes a decade or more ago, and who had endured a brush with the law that was all too familiar to Swan, whose Federation Square fisticuffs with some security guards in 2003 almost cost him his career before it had really started. By the time he won his Copelands he was painting himself with tattoos, one of the first of Australian sportsmen to do so, and among the first was the Swan family motto: CONSTANT AND FAITHFUL. Later, he had the words G-o-o-d L-i-f-e inked on his knuckles. He bought a tattoo shop, and a pub, still giggles at the irony of those particular purchases, and called his clothing label Rat Bagg.Then before he could blink, he went to the SCG in Round 1 this year and Zak Jones of the Swans fell hard on him in a marking contest, Swans right leg twisting up underneath him. An hour later he was sitting in a medical room at the adjacent Sydney Football Stadium, waiting for an x-ray and wondering where his future was. Collingwood were smashed in his absence. Soon enough, the medical reports would come through.It was the end of an entertaining road. Thats footy. Thats life. Cheap Dallas Mavericks Jerseys China . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Cheap Brooklyn Nets Jerseys China . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. http://www.cheapbasketballchina.com/cheap-los-angeles-clippers-jerseys-china_364r.html .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Wholesale Basketball Jerseys . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. Cheap Philadelphia 76ers Jerseys China . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The previous time the 49ers traveled to play quarterback Matt Ryan in Atlanta, the stakes were high.It was the NFC championship game in January 2013, when Ryan and the top-seeded Falcons were looking to make their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.Ryan was having the best season of his career, but ran into San Franciscos defense.The 49ers rallied for a 28-24 victory, culminated by a fourth-down pass break-up from NaVorro Bowman with 1:13 remaining, sending Jim Harbaughs team to the Super Bowl.It was going good for us, we were rolling, said cornerback Tramaine Brock, one of San Franciscos eight remaining players that played in that game. Champagne shower in the locker room.Fast forward nearly four years and the Falcons offense again looks championship-caliber, only Ryan is having an even better season.Hes having a MVP-type season quarterbacking the leagues highest-scoring offense. His 113.2 passer rating is far better than his previous career high of 99.1 from that 2012 season.San Francisco (1-12), meanwhile, is looking to end its franchise-worst losing streak at 12. There wont be any champagne flowing in the locker room while the 49ers try to avoid finishing with fewer than two wins for the first time in history.Ryan says hes benefiting from being in the second season of coordinator Kyle Shanahans offense.49ers coach Chip Kelly said it doesnt matter what offense Ryans running.Matts one of those quarterbacks that transcends any system, he said. Hes had a couple different coordinators and been successful with whoever was coaching him. Thats just the type of player he is. I think hes an elite quarterback.Ryan ranks second in passer rating, second in yards (4,050), tied for second in touchdown passes (30) and fourth in completion rate (68.3 percent).I think everybodys a little bit more comfortable, year two in the system, and understands just the ins and outs and the nuances of the system a little bit better, Ryan said during a conference call.dddddddddddd. I think were more comfortable and I think weve got some more good players.Ryan has had new options at his disposal, including speedy receiver Taylor Gabriel and Mohamed Sanu, whos turned into a valuable partner to Julio Jones, the NFLs leader in yards receiving.But Ryan was without Jones (toe) and Sanu (groin) last week when the Falcons traveled to play the struggling Rams.It didnt matter as Ryan threw three touchdown passes in the 42-14 win. Gabriel caught a 64-yard touchdown pass, his fourth, all 25 yards or longer.I thought our guys stepped up and played really well. Its not easy when youre top two guys go down, Ryan said. I thought our guys didnt blink.Jones hasnt practiced this week and is uncertain to play Sunday against the 49ers last-ranked defense. Sanu has been limited.The 49ers will likely be without receiver Torrey Smith, who sustained a concussion when he slammed his head into the turf on an incompletion in the third quarter of the overtime loss to the Jets.Smith lost consciousness, he said, and has a gap in his memory spanning from when the play was called to his drive home after the game.Hes been in the concussion protocol this week and has yet to return to practice, but says hes improving.I dont remember anything. So, thats just one of the things that comes with it, Smith said. But as long as Im feeling better, each and every day, thats all Im going to concentrate on right now.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '