America is asking a judge to dismiss defamation lawsuits filed by two M

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Its a free country, so it makes no difference to Rex Ryan whether Colin Kaepernick continues to kneel in protest during the national anthem when Buffalo hosts the 49ers on Sunday.The Bills coach is more concerned what the San Francisco quarterback can do with his arm and legs once the game begins now that Kaepernick has reclaimed the starting job .Im not worried about that kind of figure, Ryan said, referring to Kaepernick transcending football and entering the national political discussion with his public stance against racial oppression and police brutality.Im worried about the quarterback, he added. Any time you lead a team to a Super Bowl, thats pretty good. So thats where our focus certainly is on preparing for him.Ryan has no intention of the Bills losing their focus even though he believes standing for the anthem pays respect to members of the armed forces.Buffalo (3-2) has won three straight , and the objective is making it four in a row, which would mark the Bills best streak since going 4-0 to open 2008.Make no mistake, were still kicking dirt off ourselves from the start we had, Ryan said. Were not that good. Were not good enough to overlook anybody, let alone the 49ers.San Francisco (1-4) has lost four straight and seeking any semblance of a spark, which is one of the reasons first-year coach Chip Kelly made the switch at quarterback by benching Blaine Gabbert .Its not Blaines fault, Kelly said. We just felt we needed to do something on the offensive side of the ball to get us going. When you look at the depth of the offensive side of the ball, its really the one maneuver we could make.Little has gone right for the 49ers since a 28-0 season-opening rout of an undisciplined Los Angeles Rams opponent. In their past four games, Gabbert has thrown four touchdowns and six interceptions, and the Niners have managed just 16 big plays (10 or more yards rushing, 20 or more yards passing) after having seven against L.A.Enter Kaepernick, who made a splash with his dual-threat abilities in leading San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance in 2013 -- a 34-31 loss to Baltimore -- and to the NFC championship game the following year, which the 49ers lost to Seattle. His production has tailed off since, with injuries playing a factor. In the past 11 months, hes had operations on his left non-throwing shoulder, left knee and right thumb.Kaepernicks last start was Nov. 1, when his record dropped to 2-6 following a 27-6 loss at St. Louis.As a competitor, you always want to be in a position where you can help your team win football games, Kaepernick said. I now have that opportunity and want to take full advantage of it.Heres a number of things to look for Sunday:RAISED PLATFORM: Kaepernick doesnt feel added pressure to succeed to help expand his voice .If me winning some games and playing well amplifies how much people want to listen to what Im saying and what Im fighting for, great, he said. But regardless of what happens on the field, theres nothing that can delegitimize what this movement is about.CHIP VS. LESEAN PART II: Bills running back LeSean McCoy caused a stir last year by using a profanity in saying he wouldnt shake then-Eagles coach Chip Kellys hand before Buffalos game at Philadelphia. McCoy was upset in believing Kellys decision to trade him to Buffalo was possibly racially motivated.McCoy still isnt likely to shake Kellys hand Sunday, but was far more reserved in sharing his emotions toward his former coach.I never really had an issue with him, McCoy said. Some things we didnt see eye to eye, but thats tons of players and coaches.POROUS D: The 49ers have allowed a 100-yard rusher for four straight weeks, contributing to San Francisco having the leagues second-worst rushing defense at 146.8 yards per game. The Niners will have their hands full this week against McCoy, who has a combined 330 yards rushing and three TDs (including one receiving) in the past three games since Anthony Lynn replaced Greg Roman as offensive coordinator.STOUT D: Led by 10th-year journeyman Lorenzo Alexanders NFL-leading seven sacks, the Bills have 17 already -- four fewer than they had last year. Buffalo is also third in the NFL with 11 takeaways (five fumbles, six interceptions), including three returned for touchdowns.O-LINE SWITCH: The move to Kaepernick might not be the only change on offense. Rookie guard Joshua Garnett played 18 snaps as a reserve last week and could start against the Bills in place of Andrew Tiller. The Niners traded up to draft Garnett in the first round, but he didnt get a single snap on offense the first four weeks.---AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in Santa Clara, California, contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFLCustom Lions Jerseys . Bjorn, who had a 36-hole total of 8-under 134, made a testing six-foot putt to save par on the 16th and a birdie on the 17th before bogeying the final hole after a misjudged approach shot. American Kevin Streelman was in second place after shooting a 69. Custom Lions Jersey China . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. 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Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout.WASHINGTON -- Al-Jazeera America is asking a judge to dismiss defamation lawsuits filed by two Major League Baseball players over statements made in the broadcasters documentary about performance-enhancing drugs in sports.Lawyers for the news organization and for Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals and Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies appeared Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington. The suits, which were consolidated into one Tuesday, refer to the documentary The Dark Side: Secrets of Sports Doping, broadcast by Al-Jazeera America in December 2015.The suit alleges a ppharmacist who appeared in the documentary made false statements when he said Zimmerman and Howard took banned performance-enhancing drugs.ddddddddddddMajor League Baseball investigated the allegations and said it found no violations of its drug agreement.After more than two hours of arguments Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said she would issue a written ruling on whether the case should be dismissed. But she did not say when she would rule. ' ' '