Fernando Alonso thinks Honda is currently ahead of where Mercedes at the same stage of its own V6 project and remains confident of returning to the front of the grid next season.Honda has clearly made improvements this season and in recent races McLaren been a regular fixture in the Q3 shootout. The Japanese manufacturer has been playing catch-up after joining the V6 turbo in 2015, a year later than Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault.Alonso thinks that a comparison between Hondas current position and Mercedes last year could show the Japanese manufacturer to be ahead.When asked what he was doing to push Honda forward, he joked: Apart from punch them I cannot do anything more! I am trying to push everyone. I am aware of their hard work and I understand that they are doing their best. They are working 24 hours in Sakura, they are bringing all their knowledge from people, but unfortunately in F1 there isnt a magic button you can touch from one day to the other you can reach a certain level.If you can imagine we are in our second year, if you see the power we have, the deployment we have and the reliability we have, I dont think there have been many teams in this position in their second season, maybe Mercedes and we are maybe ahead of Mercedes in the second year. I am impressed with what Honda is doing with the little time they had. The biggest problem was the starting point, we were a bit behind last year.?Alonso also used 2015 to illustrate why McLaren is happy with its current form, saying the troubles he and teammate Jenson Button encountered show just how far it has come in a year.It has changed a lot I think we are definitely moving forward and in the right direction. Last year the project was not mature enough because the power unit was not ready.Everyone remembers here we had 105 positions penalty between Jenson and myself which was a sign we were not ready to compete so we are a little bit behind compared to the other manufacturers, but in terms of organisation and on the chassis-side we are comparable ot the top teams, which is a good sign.Now we are in a situation which is much better than last year that makes us more confident than about next year. Last year we needed to solve many problems, now we need solve just one only, which is easier. Stars Jerseys 2020 . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. Fake Stars Jerseys . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. https://www.cheapstarsonline.com/ . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Dallas Stars Store . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. Stars Jerseys 2021 .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. CLEVELAND -- Making good on his promise to be part of the solution, Browns running back Isaiah Crowell attended the weekend funeral of one of the five Dallas police officers slain in a recent attack by a gunman.Crowell had come under heavy criticism for posting a gruesome illustration on social media of an officer being killed following the shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota by police. While he expressed regret and offered to donate one game check of $35,000 to the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation, Crowell wanted to do more and accepted an invitation to go to the funeral for officer Patrick Zamarripa on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.Crowell was invited by the foundations president, Sgt. Demetrick Pennie, who chronicled his interactions at the service with Crowell on a lengthy Facebook posting.During the visit, he met with several police officers from across the country, who expressed their appreciation for him seeking forgiveness for his actions and having the courage to admit that he was wrong and making an attempt to redress the problem, Pennie wrote. Crowell expressed his deepest condolences for the loss of our officers and stated that he would be willing to return in the future to assist the survivors in Dallas in honoring the sacrifices of their loved ones.A Browns spokesman said Crowell spent eight hours with Pennie, who commended the 26-year-old for accepting responsibility for his actions.ddddddddddddBased on my interactions, I am confident that the policing community now has a supporter in Mr. Crowell, Pennie said. Personally, I would like to commend Isaiah Crowell for the courage of principled accountability.Crowell, who led the Browns with 706 yards rushing last season, deleted his controversial post moments after publishing it. However, saved screenshots went viral and the Browns felt public pressure to release him.Crowell issued two apologies, one a prepared statement and another on video in which he said he was sorry and committed to doing whatever I can to create open dialogue between my communities and the police who serve them.Crowell also made a personal apology to Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams. While expressing their disappointment, the Browns have said theyll support Crowell as long as he continues to take steps to make a positive difference after a very negative and impactful post.Crowell and Clevelands other veteran players are due to report to training camp on July 28.---AP NFL websites: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '