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PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- The smartest minds in American sprinting have spent years trying to solve the riddle of why, as often as not, U.S. relay teams have struggled so mightily to get the baton around the track when the stakes are highest.Leave it to the Jamaican, Usain Bolt, to come up with what might be the most plausible answer: They tend to panic.The American sprinters are gathered this week at an Olympic training camp outside of Houston, once again trying to create chemistry and find answers to a problem that never really goes away.Eight times since 1995, the American men have either been disqualified or failed to get the baton around the track at the Olympics or world championships. The women, who set the world record in the 4x100 at the London Games, arent immune to the butterfingers, either. Theyve mishandled the exchange in two of the last three Olympics. And at last years world championships, in the 4x400, where the pass shouldnt be a big deal, a bobble cost them the gold.The key to changing that dynamic: I think just being relaxed, said Tyson Gay, who helped the Americans get the baton around four years ago, only to cost them the silver medal because of a doping violation. No pressure, just relax. Thats all I think.If only it were that simple.In a sport built on individual accomplishments, the relay is that singular opportunity for the country that routinely wins the most medals in track to show that it can, in fact, function like a team.Since 2008, that pressure has been coupled with the fact that Jamaica -- while not as deep across the entire scope of track and field -- has the fastest man on Earth.When youve got Michael Rodgers standing in the third relay zone and Jamaica and us are shoulder to shoulder and hes looking at Usain Bolt on the anchor leg, thats going to impact your athletic performance, said Duffy Mahoney, chief of sport performance for USA Track and Field.Last year at world championships, Gay and Rodgers mishandled the final handoff and the exchange came outside the legal passing zone. It disqualified the Americans and sent Bolt on what couldve been a jog to the finish line for the gold.Asked to explain Jamaicas baton strategy, Bolt said there was no magic to it.We know the key thing is just to get the baton around, he said. Because with the U.S., we know we always have the best team, and they tend to panic. Pressure gets to them sometimes.Bolt doesnt have to be on the track for things to go bad.In 2004, then again in 2008, the U.S. women mishandled the baton in the 4x100. The 2008 miss, combined with a botched exchange between Gay and Darvis Patton in the mens race, contributed to the United States being shut out of gold medals in all six sprint races for the first time in Olympic history. That led to a top-to-bottom overhaul of the way the U.S. handles relay training, which now requires sprinters to attend training camps and participate in a number of relays before the Olympics.Carl Lewis, who won relay gold in 1984 and 1992 (he wasnt on the team that got DQd for passing outside the zone in the 1988 qualifying heats), has been one of the most outspoken critics of the U.S. team. He says theres too much politics involved in who gets coaching assignments and who gets to run in the relays, and not enough time devoted to perfecting the art of the baton pass.Ive been to (junior) nationals, Ive been to (junior) Hersheys meets, Ive never seen a baton hit the ground, Lewis said in March. What they need to do is get a retired college coach whos going to tell the agents to kiss off, and tell the athletes to get in line and know how to put together a relay.In charge of the relay operation this year is Dennis Mitchell, who has relay gold and silver from 1992 and 1996, but whose appointment to that role was controversial. Mitchell served a two-year doping ban and was caught up with Trevor Graham, Marion Jones and the BALCO doping scandal.What, in Mitchells mind, does it take for a perfect relay exchange?What doesnt it take? he said. The girls are running at anywhere from 10 to 13 miles an hour, the guys are somewhere around 20. So theres a lot of moving parts that happen when youre going through a zone.When things hit on all cylinders, the results can be incredible. In London four years ago, the team of Allyson Felix, Tianna Madison (now Bartoletta), Bianca Knight and Carmelita Jeter ran the oval in 40.82 seconds to break a 27-year-old world record.And when they dont, the second-guessing begins.The closer the race, the more pressure it puts on the athlete, Mahoney said. Sometimes, no matter how well-prepared they are and how good they are, things happen. Its sports. Saints Jerseys 2020 . 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. Saints Jerseys China . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. https://www.saintsjerseyssale.com/ . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. Fake Saints Jerseys .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. New Orleans Saints Gear .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Here, well look at which players have moved up and down our Top 32, drawing on the same scouting reports as before and making changes only where necessary.Well continue to update our board as we get closer to the 2017 NFL draft. While its a given that some players will move into the rankings while others will drop out, this provides a good snapshot of which players currently have the most NFL potential based on our evaluations.Note: Underclassmen are marked with an asterisk.1. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU*Grade: 95I was happy to see LSU put Fournette on the shelf in Week 2 to rest his ankle.?Even though hes a little banged up, Fournette has still averaged 142.5 rushing yards per game this season. He has a rare combination of size, power, agility and speed for the position. Fournette runs angry and violent, consistently initiating contact with defenders.2. Myyles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M*Grade: 94With 28 sacks in 27 starts, Garrett is the real deal.dddddddddddd He added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason, and it shows. Hes stronger setting the edge in the running game, and as a pass-rusher, he has a lethal combination of first-step quickness, bend, power and hand-to-hand combat skills.3. Jonathan Allen, DE, AlabamaGrade: 94Allen is the definition of a game-wrecker. A season after?leading the Tide with 14 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in 2015, he?has 3.0 sacks, four QB hurries, a blocked field goal and a defensive TD in Alabamas first three games. With an excellent combination of quickness and power, Allen constantly pushes the pocket as a pass-rusher, particularly from the interior. ' ' '