Dein erstes Forum » healthy for the French Open in three m

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions invested a lot in the middle of their defensive line, drafting Ndamukong Suh No. 2 and Nick Fairley No. 13 in consecutive years, without much of a return.Suh chose to leave the Lions last year as a free agent, signing with the Miami Dolphins. The Lions let Fairley go, and he signed with the St. Louis Rams, lasting only one season with them before joining the New Orleans Saints this year.I dont think we ever taken a step back, defensive end Devin Taylor insisted.Detroit began rebuilding the unit around the talents of end Ezekiel Ansah, drafted No. 5 overall in 2013, and the experience of tackle Haloti Ngata, who re-signed this season. With first-year general manager Bob Quinn, the franchise made another commitment to the defensive line by selecting Alabama tackle AShawn Robinson in the second round.We have a lot of depth, Taylor said.The pivotal player on the front, though, may prove to be Taylor, who has started just twice. The 6-foot-7, 275-pound Tylor has shown signs of promise, making seven sacks last year to more than double his career total from his first two years in the league.Hes gotten a little bit better since the time that weve been here, Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. It seems like every year he makes some growth and some steps forward. I think hes one of those guys where the more familiar he becomes with a system, the better he plays.The last big games of the season, six games, he made a ton of plays for us and showed up a significant number of times. Hopefully we can keep him on the same trajectory.If Ansah can stay on his path of improvement, it will be an incredible feat.He ranked third in the NFL with 14 1/2 sacks last season and became the first Lion to have 30 sacks in his first three seasons since sacks became an official stat in 1982.Ansah, who plays 10-on-10 soccer during the offseason back home in Ghana and in Utah, where he went to college at BYU, is incredibly quick and agile for someone who is 6-5 and 275 pounds. During a drill earlier this week, he put both of his hands on the grass, hovering just above the ground, and powerfully shot out of his stance as he worked on his pass-rushing skills.Ziggy is an amazing player, an amazing athlete, Ngata said. I dont want to say (I am) jealous, but he makes things look so easy. Its fun to watch a kid like that continue to get better.Taylor believes the defensive line will be a strength this season, but Caldwell is not quite ready to echo that prediction five-plus weeks before the season starts.Its early, yet, he said. I mean theres talent there. Theres no question about it. We have depth there at this point, but well wait and see.--AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLNFL Jerseys . On June 12, just as the sun sets on the magnificent historical city of Sao Paulo the inventors, innovators and purveyors of “joga bonitowill” open their campaign. The opponent, Croatia and all its football might and will. As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener. Stitched Jerseys . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. https://www.cheapjerseysjustwholesale.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. NBA Jerseys . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. Adidas Jerseys . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months.TORONTO -- The Blue Jays have finalized a three-year, $33 million contract with free agent Kendrys Morales, and say the deal lowers the chances that slugger Edwin Encarnacion will return next season.Hours after the team announced the addition of Morales on Friday, general manager Ross Atkins said talks with Encarnacion are ongoing, theyre still continuing.Encarnacion and Jose Bautista both became free agents after helping Toronto reach the playoffs.We still feel that both are realistic for us, but again, when you sign someone like Kendrys Morales, that decreases the likelihood of Edwin coming back tto the Blue Jays, but by no means eliminates that possibility, Atkins said.ddddddddddddhe 33-year-old Morales hit 30 home runs with 93 RBI while batting .263 for Kansas City last season.Atkins said second baseman Devon Travis had surgery on his right knee and is expected to be fine. He was injured in the playoffs against Cleveland.Toronto also claimed right-hander Leonel Campos on waivers from San Diego. The 29-year-old pitched 25 times for the Padres over three seasons. ' ' '