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Adidas NMD Online Italia .Va. -- New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas is technically an unproven rookie with hardly a week of training camp under his belt.Could have fooled his teammates, and even coach Sean Payton.You wouldnt know he was a first-year player if you just came to practice, Payton said. You would just think hes one of the receivers out here making a lot of plays.Payton used the word amazing, to describe one play made by his sure-handed, second-round pick. And that was only the first of two one-handed catches, in tight coverage, of long touchdown passes down the left sideline.To make both plays, Thomas had to extend and contort his body to the point of crashing to the turf. Yet he found a way to corral the ball each time, drawing roars of approval from not just spectators, but other players on the field.When Thomas has been able to stay on his feet after a catch, he has demonstrated the ability to pick up considerable yards after the catch, once using a sudden jump-step to avoid a defender before sprinting toward the sideline and turning the corner.He has been encouraging when you see him in traffic. Hes got really good hands away from his body. So, hes not someone that lets the ball get in on his chest, Payton said. That will give him a chance to have a little bit more run-after-the-catch ability.Thomas made yet another tough grab during Wednesdays 11-on-11 drills, when he reached up to snag a slant pass that second-string quarterback Luke McCown zipped between quickly closing defensive backs Keenan Lewis and Jamal Golden.Both defenders met Thomas as the pass arrived, trying to rip the ball away as they made the tackle. They were unable to dislodge the ball from Thomas grip.I love that kid. He has a nose for the football, said McCown, a 13th-year veteran who has lined up with Thomas several times in the first handful of camp practices.Hes got this kind of -- golly -- just this want to get the ball no matter where its at, McCown said.Thats what you want in a receiver -- a guy that just wants the ball to be in his ZIP code, and hes going to find a way to come down with it, whether theres somebody hanging on him or not.The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Thomas was drafted 47th overall. He had solid, but not necessarily extraordinary statistics at Ohio State last season, catching 56 passes for 781 yards and nine touchdowns.But the Saints were less concerned with Thomas stats than his particular skills.At the very least, his height and sure hands made him a good candidate to help fill the void created by the departure of Saints all-time leading receiver Marques Colston, who was released last winter, following his 10th season.Already, Thomas is getting a number of snaps with starting quarterback Drew Brees, who hasnt hesitated to throw the rookies way and has praised how quickly he learns.Thomas also has a former star NFL receiver in the family -- his uncle, Keyshawn Johnson. Thomas is not as flamboyant as his uncle. He is more soft-spoken and emphasizes humility, even as he projects confidence.After a recent practice, Thomas could be seen doing extra sprints; he was punishing himself for a false start in full team drills.That was my idea. I let the team down, I feel like, by moving too early, Thomas said. I can cost the team by doing that, so do something to correct it. Stay humble.Still, Thomas said he and his uncle talk, all the time, and that Johnson has been an important resource, teaching him how to hone his receiving skills and develop into an all-around pro.Thomas eagerness to explore ways to improve led him to strengthen his hands with yoga-type exercises.Brandin Cooks, who was New Orleans leading receiver last season, said he recalled hearing about Thomas affinity for hand yoga in the offseason, but forgot all about that until he saw the first of Thomas spectacular one-handed catches in training camp.Im like, `Maybe theres something to it, Cooks said. He has great hands.Whether Thomas turns out to be as productive as his famous uncle remains to be seen, but his acrobatic catches in camp have heightened expectations.Theyre probably going to expect that from me, so Im probably going to get another opportunity to make that (type of) play, so be ready when it presents itself, Thomas said. Its a momentum game. So if I can start that fire (with a big play), Id like to be that person.Game notes CB Keenan Lewis, who began training camp on the Saints physically-unable-to-perform list, took part in his first practice on Wednesday. ... DT Nick Fairley and S Erik Harris, who both left practice with undisclosed injuries on Saturday, returned on Wednesday. ... Payton said the Saints have signed S Jamal Golden, DE Matt Shaughnessy and G Jordan Walsh. ... The Saints have waived DT Lawrence Virgil and assigned S Alden Darby and WR Kyle Prater waived-injured designations.---AP NFL website:
www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed:
http://twitter.com/AP-NFL NMD Scontate Outlet .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup.
Adidas NMD Scontate . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
http://www.adidasnmditalia.it/ . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . ATHENS, Ga. -- Once they were eliminated from their respective conference races, Georgia and Georgia Tech began focusing on other goals.Winning records and bowl eligibility, that sort of thing.Now they get a shot at a really sweet consolation prize.A victory over their state rival.Georgia hosts Georgia Tech between the hedges Saturday in a matchup between 7-4 teams that failed to meet their preseason goals but havent lost sight of how important this game is to fans on both sides.It doesnt matter the records or whats going on between the two (teams), Georgia offensive guard Greg Pyke said. It is going to be heated out there, probably a little bit chippy too.This will be the first meeting between the coaches, though there are some ties between Georgia Techs Paul Johnson and Georgias first-year leader, Kirby Smart.When Johnson was coaching at Georgia Southern, he interviewed Smart but didnt offer him a job.I didnt really know him, Johnson recalled. Im not sure I had an opening or whatever.Johnson said he spent time with Smart at a celebrity golf tournament last spring.Nice guy, Johnson said. I mean, hes no different than any other coach when youre around him. You tend to get along. I think sometimes fans dont quite understand that relationship. Its not all `dont speak to guys and cant stand them and that kind of thing.But rest assured, they wont be on friendly terms Saturday.---Some other things to watch for in the latest edition of the rivalry known as Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate:QUARTERBACK DUEL: Justin Thomas is winding down his Georgia Tech career. A three-year starter, he is adept at Johnsons triple-option offense and will go down as one of the rare players in NCAA history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 2,000 yards in his career. Georgia counters with freshman Jacob Eason, who took over the starting job in the second week of the season and never looked back. While there have been some growing pains along the way, Eason guided the Bulldogs to a couple of last-minute victories as well as an upset of Auburn.X FACTOR: When asked about containing Georgia running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, Johnson quickly shifted his attention to receiver and return specialist Isaiaah McKenzie , who has the school records with five punt returns for touchdowns and six overall TD returns.
Adidas NMD Saldi. Hes the guy who has been their big-play guy, Johnson said. When he gets the ball in his hands, whether its on a kick return or a pass or reverse or counter, hes got the ability to take it the distance.BIG PLAYS: The Bulldogs will be going against an offense they havent seen in any other game this season. Discipline is always a key when facing the Yellow Jackets, who try to wear down their opponents with ball control and tedious runs in hopes of getting defenders to venture out of their lanes, opening up a shot at a big play. Smart emphasized that Georgia didnt just start studying the triple-option this week, but the Bulldogs did give up five plays of at least 25 yards in last weeks victory over Louisiana-Lafayette. And Georgia Tech is coming off a game in which it had scoring plays of 54, 60 and 67 yards against Virginia .BALL HAWKING: Georgia leads the Southeastern Conference with 14 interceptions, so Georgia Tech doesnt want to get behind and have to rely on its shaky passing game. Overall, the Bulldogs are plus-seven in turnover margin.COACHING FALLOUT: A victory over Georgia would go a long way toward cooling speculation that Johnsons job might be in jeopardy with Georgia Tech bringing on a new athletic director, Todd Stansbury. Johnson has a 2-6 mark against the Bulldogs. Smart is on much more secure footing as he wraps up his first season as the Bulldogs coach. Still, his Georgia debut has hardly been a rousing success, marred by ugly losses to Florida and Vanderbilt, and the grumbling would surely intensify if he lost his first meeting against the Yellow Jackets. Its worth noting that Smarts predecessor, Mark Richt, went 13-2 against Georgia Tech.---AP Sports Writer Charles Odum in Atlanta contributed to this report.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at
http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---For more AP college football coverage:
www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '
