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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Panthers 3-9 record isnt keeping them from talking some trash leading up to their rematch with the division rival Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Carolina defensive end Greg Hardy said Wednesday the struggling Panthers are a "better team" than Atlanta. Yes, better than the Falcons, who have clinched the NFC South division title and have the NFCs best record at 11-1. The Panthers, meanwhile, are coming off a loss to Kansas City, which had won only one game this season before Sunday. When asked if he meant the Panthers were the better team on Sept. 30 when they lost 30-28 at Atlanta or better overall, Hardy replied, "Both." Hardy said this Sundays rematch is about "payback" and "punishment." "We owe them something and it is coming," Hardy said. "Im trying to mess with their whole playoff experience. I want them to go home sick in the stomach and mad about life, a couple of depression issues, all types of things. Its going to be a long day from my point of view. Im coming." Hardy, now a full-time starter in his third season with the Panthers, said hes not a big fan of the teams Interstate-85 rivals, calling the Falcons "a little cocky." "I feel like theyre not respectful," Hardy said. Hardy is among several Carolina defensive players who felt disrespected by Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan after television cameras caught him cursing as he shouted get off our field toward the Panthers sidelines in the final seconds of Atlantas Week 4 win at the Georgia Dome. Ryans emotions were running high after the Falcons completed an improbable comeback against the Panthers. The Falcons were backed up on their own 1-yard with less than a minute to play and no timeouts in the last meeting. But Ryan heaved a pass downfield for Roddy White to get the Falcons to midfield and a few plays later Matt Bryant booted a 40-yard field goal to give Atlanta the win. An emotional Ryan left the field slapping high-fives and shouting as he made his way to the locker room. "He said some harsh words man, so its going to be a fight out there," cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said. "He totally disrespected us. They won the game. They came all of the way back to beat us. But to say what he said, I dont think there was cause for it." Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson, who had 3 1/2 of Carolinas seven sacks against the Falcons in Week 4 said the Panthers saw the video tape of Ryan on the team bus after the game. He said its bothered him ever since. Johnson said the Panthers have had this game marked on their calendar. "Now he has to come into our house," Johnson said. The Panthers, though, havent been very good in their own house; theyve lost five straight at home. The Falcons had closed their media availability for the day prior to Hardys comments and were unavailable for respond. At one point Wednesday Hardy admitted the Falcons were a good team, but then returned to his rant. "They have receivers that can catch, but they can be stopped. They have linemen that can block, but they can be beaten. They have a quarterback who is going to be on the ground because thats where he belongs," Hardy said. "Thats going to happen." Hardy also advised Ryan to get rid of the ball early and often on Sunday. "He likes to hold the ball and thats something he should do when youre coming to play the Carolina Panthers because its going to have repercussions," said Hardy, who has a career-high eight sacks on one forced fumble this season. Panthers coach Ron Rivera coach said he hasnt seen the tape of Ryans outburst from after the game and isnt sure if hell be showing it to his players this week as motivation. "Truthfully, if you want to do something about it (then) do it on the field," Rivera said. "Thats the way I look at it. Lets not talk about it, lets let our actions speak for us on the field." Quarterback Cam Newton is also anxious to gain a measure of respect on the Falcons as well, but for a completely different reason. His late-game third-down run against his hometown team would have sealed Carolinas win had he not fumbled and the ball bounced back backward behind the first down marker. Although Carolina recovered, the Panthers had to punt and the Falcons went on to score the go-ahead field goal. "To back (Hardy) and defend him, there are a lot of things that havent been true about our season so far," Newton said. "We are a way better team than what our record is." Wholesale Jerseys From China . Good decision. Hill hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning and the Diamondbacks beat Colorado 10-7 on Sunday, the Rockies season-high ninth straight loss. NFL Jerseys From China . Numbers Game breaks down the Canucks signing hometown boy Jason Garrison. The Canucks Get: D Jason Garrison. Garrison, 27, has played 190 career NHL games, but really came into his own this past season, scoring a career-high 16 goals, 33 points and a plus-6 rating while playing a career-high 23:42 per game. http://bloodcopy.org/wholesale.html . The Toronto Raptors held its annual media day Monday to kick off training camp in what the teams general manager called a "completely different atmosphere" from last season.SALT LAKE CITY -- Before their game Wednesday, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown remarked how easily Kobe Bryant had been scoring and in so many different ways. Against Utah, with four or five players taking turns guarding Bryant, nothing came easy as the Jazz pulled off a 95-86 victory to drop the Lakers to 1-4. "Its tough for anyone to stop him one-on-one," Jazz guard Randy Foye said. "I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates. Me, Gordon (Hayward), Marvin (Williams), Mo (Williams), Alec (Burks). All of us. It worked well, but Im lucky the game finished when it did because any longer and he was starting to get it going." Bryant led all scorers with 29 points, 16 in the fourth quarter. But he shot just 7 of 17 overall after entering the game shooting nearly 60 per cent. He also was 0 of 4 from 3-point range, and was only 3 of 10 after three quarters. While the Jazz were limiting the Lakers to 34 per cent shooting, Al Jefferson and free-agent acquisition Foye provided a 1-2 punch. Jefferson scored 18 points and Foye added 17 off the bench on five 3-pointers, including three straight in the fourth quarter. "Oh man, I was feeling it," said Foye, who finished 5 of 9 from beyond the arc and made all of Utahs 3s. "I was just trying to go out there and be aggressive. Ive got to give a lot of credit to my teammates. My teammates found me at the right spots and I just knocked down shots." Foye said the Lakers shouldnt have been surprised that he was a dangerous 3-point shooter. "They know me," he said. "Last year I played for the Clippers and had big games against them. They knew. But it was either Big Al with the layup or I get a 3." The Jazz led by as many as 16 points early, but the Lakers were within five with 8:27 left before Foye hit three straight 3-pointers to give Utah a 79-68 lead with 6:40 remaining. Jefferson scored on back-to-back baskets for Utah as the Jazz boosted their lead to 13. Bryants 16-point fourth helped Los Angeles get within five, but his dunk with 12.5 seconds left was too little, too late. "Were all frustrated," Brown said. "Im very frustrated too for the simple fact that I just dont think we played the game like we talked about going in. We wanted to be the ones to hit first ... but we didnt." Utah, which beat Dallas in the opener only to lose three straight on the road, started fast and finished strong. Utah held a 44-36 advantage in points in the paint and a 15-7 edge on the fast break. The Jazz also forced 19 Lakers turnovers, inccluding six by Bryant and five by Dwight Howard.dddddddddddd "A lot of it just comes from reading each other, getting in sync with each other," said Bryant, who was playing his 79th career game against the Jazz but only fifth with new teammate Howard. Howard (19 points, nine rebounds) said the Lakers intensity was low. Everyone acknowledged Utah is a different team at home. The Jazz led by seven early as Mo Williams and Hayward started fast. Hayward left Bryant on the floor after stealing the ball from him at one end and dunking at the other for a 9-2 Utah lead. The Lakers pulled within 19-17 on Pau Gasols jam off a pass from Bryant. But Utah closed on a 6-0 run to take a 25-17 lead, with a pair of baskets from Derrick Favours and a 17-foot jumper from big man Enes Kanter. Utahs reserves kept things rolling in the second quarter, with Favours and Kanter dominating inside at both ends. Kanter shut down Howard on back-to-back possessions, and had a dunk and three-point play. Foyes 3-pointer pushed Utahs lead to 35-21 with 9:11 left in the half and his free throws put the Jazz up 43-27. Mo Williams kept the pressure on offensively with 14 points in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting, taking advantage of Steve Nashs continued absence. He finished with 16 points on 8 of 13 shooting. Hayward was just 2 of 11 overall, but had a pair of steals and three blocks, none bigger than his swat of Metta World Peace shortly before the break. Utah finished with seven blocked shots, including two by Burks, who showed he wasnt afraid to play Bryant tight. Bryant took only one shot in the first quarter and was 1 of 4 at halftime. At one point, Los Angeles was shooting just 25 per cent. In the third, Bryant had a chance to cut Utahs lead to two but was blocked by Favours, leaving Bryant screaming for the foul. He didnt get it, but Marvin Williams converted a three-point play at the other end six seconds later to push Utahs lead back to 63-56. Kanters slam gave Utah a 65-57 lead going into the fourth. "Its definitely sweet," said Mo Williams, who added seven assists. "But it was all about us fighting. We needed to get this one." Notes: The Jazz went 3 1/2 minutes without scoring in the third as they shot just 26 per cent in the quarter. Utah held a 44-36 advantage in points in the paint and a 15-7 edge on the fast break. ... The Lakers finished with a huge advantage at the free throw line, but made just 32 of 46. ... Jordan Hill grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds for the Lakers. ' ' '