Thilan Samaraweera reunited with an old friend on his first day as Bangladeshs batting consultant. I divide my career into two, he said. First it is from 2001 to 2006 when I was dropped. I became a totally different player when I met Chandika [Hathurusingha].Samaraweera began with a century on Test debut in 2001 but suffered a drastic dip in form five years later. When he returned to the Sri Lankan side, he averaged over 72 in 2007 and 2008 and peaked with 114.25 from six matches in 2010. Speaking to the media in Mirpur, he said he was looking forward to working with Hathrusingha, who is the Bangladesh head coach, again.I know what he is capable of and I would love to work with him. He gave me the freedom to express myself. He focused on the technique and mindset, the key to international cricket. I became a totally different cricketer. I think my average was close to between 50 or 60.Samaraweera was hired by the BCB for the series against England and Afghanistan. His tenure would last 45 days and in that time he has to make sure the Bangladesh batsmen do not feel the drawbacks of not playing international cricket since the World T20 in March.On the first day I am a bit quiet as I want to get to know the players. There are a few newcomers. I know four to five players as I played against them. Just had a few chats here and there. After another day I will be more comfortable working with this group.My first priority is the Afghanistan series because I know that when you are not playing for four to five months, the international arena seems totally different than practice. I think the key is to get into the groove of international cricket. I am not worried about talent as the talent is there.Samaraweera, who had previously worked as a batting consultant for Cricket Australia, was pleased with the amount of progress made by Bangladesh over the last year and a half.I think the freedom that the coaching staff led by Chandi gave to the Bangladesh players made them believe they could fight against the top teams. You can see in the last 18 months they beat Pakistan, India and South Africa and they also did well in the World Cup in different conditions. More freedom, belief and support from senior to younger players are what a team requires.I think more about the mental toughness and I can see how much they have changed over the last 18 months in terms of the technical aspects. Florida Panthers Jerseys . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Vincent Trocheck Panthers Jersey . 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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Trace McSorley will start at quarterback for Penn State when the Nittany Lions open against Kent State on Sept. 3.Coach James Franklin settled on the sophomore after McSorley battled redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens for the job through the spring and summer.Were excited what he brings to our offense, Franklin said Wednesday. I think the biggest thing is hes been the backup quarterback for two years. He has game experience and theres value in that. Youve been able to see it already, youre not projecting as much.McSorley will make his first career start at home against Kent State.Its a lot of weight off my shoulders, McSorley said. Over the whole offseason, Tommy and I were pushing each other. This team will be better because of how this competition went with us pushing each other.Both quarterbacks are strong runners, but McSorleys experience gave him the edge.His shiftiness was utilized in practice throughout his tenure as Christian Hackenbergs backup. He usually led the scout team against the top defense, offering a similar look to the opposing running quarterbackks Penn State would play.ddddddddddddAlthough hes played sparingly on Saturdays in that time, McSorley saw meaningful snaps in Penn States bowl game in relief of an injured Hackenberg. Then, McSorley completed 14 of 17 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, ran seven times for 31 yards and nearly led a comeback against Georgia.Now, McSorley will try and turn around a unit thats ranked 105th and 114th in total offense the last two seasons. Hell do so in a spread-based offense designed for a mobile quarterback and led by new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead.I think the best thing about the way he runs the ball is hes savvy, linebacker Jason Cabinda said. He sets up his cuts. You play a guy whos a statue in the pocket and you cover well, he gets sacked. Now we have another element. Not only do you have to worry about covering guys, but when that four or five seconds is up theres that option of scrambling, another aspect of the play you have to worry about. ' ' '