OMAHA, Neb. -- Natalie Coughlin wore charcoal-gray University of California warm-ups Friday to announce she was scratching the 50-meter freestyle and bowing out of what probably is her last U.S. Olympic trials. She faced a small group of reporters sitting upright with her usual elegant carriage, holding a microphone, her hair pulled back into a tight bun. The wide, striking blue eyes that have gazed out of a thousand photo shoots were subdued and subtly ringed with the smoky tinge that comes from lack of sleep.She wasnt going to retire, not on this note, not at this meet where anything but a top-two finish is a failure. She didnt want condolences. She just wants to go home.Its the way people look at you, Coughlin said afterward. The pity. The way people avoid you when you have a bad meet at this meet. Its tough.This meet, with its depth chart unlike any in the world, its drama and its cruelty -- the 33-year-old Coughlin has experienced it in every way an athlete can. She fell short as a teenager coming off an injury in 2000. She ruled the 100-meter backstroke here in 2004 and 2008 and went on to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in her signature event in Athens and Beijing.Coughlin made the team as a relay swimmer in 2012, which for someone with her bona fides was a little like dangling from the team helicopter with a rope ladder. She swam in the morning preliminaries in London and wasnt chosen for the evening final, a decision made by her longtime Cal mentor and Olympic head coach Teri McKeever, who delivered her bronze medal privately in the Olympic Village.Then on the cusp of 30, Coughlin knew many would write her off. She wrote a new script for herself instead, staying at Cal but switching lanes and training with the men under Dave Durden.That slight yet momentous shift reinvigorated her. Most important, it enabled her to continue tending to her garden and chicken coop on two-thirds of an acre in nearby Lafayette at the home she shares with husband Ethan Hall and their two dogs.?I dont look at the past four years as wasted time or anything, said Coughlin, who swam a lifetime best in the 50 freestyle at last years Pan American Games in Toronto, the consolation prize after she was unable to qualify for world championships. Im really happy with what I was able to accomplish the past few years, but the momentum for whatever reason couldnt move forward.This week, Coughlin finished eighth in the 100 backstroke and didnt qualify for the 100 freestyle final. She swam in outside lanes and knew that for practical purposes, she wasnt in the same area code as the women who would win. I just had to look at it realistically, she said. I wasnt going to have a best time, I would rather cheer on my friends and teammates than try and swim a 50 free and continue the heartbreak for myself.Ive definitely been off for a few months. I cant put my finger on it. Ive been really tired and not been able to recover or get out of the hole. I really dont know why. Its not for lack of working hard. Sometimes it just doesnt work out.Coughlin steps out of the blocks at trials with 12 Olympic medals, tying her with Dara Torres and Jenny Thompson for the most of any female swimmer in history. She has a brace of solid sponsors, a brand synonymous with holistic fitness, and marketing power that will live on past her racing years. I dont see the point of saying its over when itll always be there, Coughlin said of her lifelong passion, with the defiance -- or perhaps constructive denial -- of someone who has been immersed since she was 6 years old.She wont have a problem feeding herself whenever she does decide to retire. 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I know this team still feels like we have a very good opportunity ahead of us.The Titans (5-6) likely will be facing Matt Barkley instead of Jay Cutler after Chicagos starting quarterback sustained a shoulder injury in last weeks loss to the New York Giants and is listed as doubtful to play this week.That was just another in long line of injuries that have engulfed the Bears (2-8). But along with their inability to stay healthy, theyve had a key player get suspended for four games for violating the leagues performance-enhancing drug policy each of the past two weeks. Linebacker Jerrell Freeman got punished on Monday . Last week, it was star receiver Alshon Jeffery.Theyre all difficult, coach John Fox said. Its a competitive game. As Ive mentioned before the injuries are a part of it whether its concussions or ankle injuries its a combative game. If you look around the league, I dont know that its happened quite as frequently around the league as it has for us, but you have to move on.The Titans, who trail Houston and Indianapolis in the AFC South, are trying to stay in the division race and hit their bye with a .500 mark.It would help if they got off to a strong start, something theyve struggled to do on the road . They are 1/3 away from home when trailing by double digits, including a 24-17 loss to the Colts last week in which they fell behind 21-0.We have to play four quarters, and I think weve only played one or two games where you can really say weve played aggressive through four quarters, said left tackle Taylor Lewan, who sprained his left knee against Indianapolis. And you need to do that the last five games.Here are some things to look for whenn they meet the Bears:BARKLEYS TURN: Barkley is expected to make his first career start.dddddddddddd The former Southern California star has played in just five NFL games since he entered the league in 2013, including a rough outing for the Bears at Green Bay on Oct. 20. He came in after Brian Hoyer broke his left arm and went 6 of 15 for 81 yards and two interceptions.Cutler then got cleared to return after missing five games because of a sprained right thumb.DAZZLING MARIOTA: Titans second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota is putting together one of the best seasons in franchise history and ranks among the NFLs best this season.He has a 116.8 passer rating over the past seven games, second only to Tom Brady (123.3) in the NFL in that span. Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick in 2015 out of Oregon, leads the NFL with 19 TD passes over the past seven weeks. He just set a franchise record by throwing at least two TDs in seven straight games, breaking a mark previously held by Hall of Famer Warren Moon. For the season, Mariota is seventh in the league with 2,772 yards passing and fourth with 23 TD passes.RUN IT: With just about all of their main playmakers on offense injured or suspended, the Bears figure to rely on their run game. That could mean a busy afternoon for Jordan Howard -- second among NFL rookies in rushing with 682 yards.OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION: Tennessee is coming off its lowest scoring game since Sept. 25, when Oakland held the Titans to just 10 points. Since Oct. 6, the Titans are second in the NFL averaging 31.3 points per game, with only New England scoring more (31.7 points per game). For the season, Tennessee is eighth averaging 25.5 points per game. The Titans also lead the NFL inside the opponents 20, scoring touchdowns 75 percent of the time with 27 TDs on 36 drives.LEBEAUS D: With Dick LeBeau fully in charge of the defense this season, the Titans are tied for third with 30 sacks, just nine away from their total for all of last season. The Titans also are seventh against the run, giving up just 92.1 yards per game.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping China NFL Gear Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Jerseys Jerseys From China ' ' '