Don Jackson's 44-yard scoring run.
Добавлено: Чт авг 23, 2018 10:51 amBoston Celtics boss Danny Ainge was puzzled by all the talk about how Texas A&M forward Robert Williams didn’t work hard enough to make it in the NBA.
”It’s hard to have a `low motor’ and be the defensive player of the year two years in a row in a tough conference Natrell Jamerson Jersey Elite ,” Ainge said Friday after the news conference to introduce Williams.
Williams was named the Southeastern Conference’s co-defensive player of the year in 2018 after winning the award outright in 2017.
”That’s pretty hard to do if you don’t have the motor,” Ainge said. ”But if the motor can get better, that’s an even bigger upside.”
A 6-foot-10, 237-pound native of Oil City, Louisiana, Williams had been considered a lottery pick after his freshman year but he returned to play another season in college. He was projected as an early first-rounder in this year’s draft, but he fell to the Celtics at No. 27 overall.
Williams said his mother believed he needed another year to mature in college. Asked if he regretted not coming out after his freshman year, Williams broke into a wide smile and shook his head to show he wasn’t second-guessing that decision.
”I mean, I’m standing right here Justin Bethel Color Rush Jersey ,” said Williams, who was assigned the No. 44 that was worn by Ainge during his Celtics playing career. ”I feel like I landed in a great place. It’s only up from here.”
Williams arrived in Boston earlier in the week and already has spent a couple of days working out at the team’s new training facility, the Auerbach Center. One of those workouts was at 6:30 a.m. on Friday before the news conference.
Incumbent power forward Al Horford was there to greet him on Wednesday.
”He just gave me the keys to success,” Williams said. ”Boston is a place that loves hard work. They love players that give it their all.”
Speaking on the eve of the league’s free agency period, Ainge declined to comment on specific players who might be available but did say it was ”unlikely” the team would land a superstar. LeBron James, Chris Paul and Paul George are expected to be free agents, and Kawhi Leonard has asked the Spurs to trade him.
”We explore every trade of certain magnitude or superstar first-ballot Hall of Fame-type player,” Ainge said. ”We’re going to take a look and kick the tires and see if there’s something there, but that’s all. I think those things are unlikely.”
A year after a complete offseason overhaul – trading Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving and returning just four players from the team that earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in 2016-17 – Ainge said he doesn’t expect to make a major move.
”We don’t have the need Dolphins Albert Wilson Jersey ,” Ainge said. ”We have really good players and we want to surround them with role players.”
—
Throughout its offseason team activities, the Seattle Seahawks appeared to be settled at safety. Bradley McDougald would just continue his role from a year ago stepping in as a full-time starter alongside Earl Thomas.
That was before Thomas decided to take his demands for a new contract to the extreme by holding out, creating an unexpected competition and a bit of chaos in Seattle's defensive backfield.
With Thomas missing, Seattle's safeties are a revolving door of combinations trying to find the pairing that makes the most sense ahead of the Sept. 9 opener at Denver. The process of seeing how all those combinations look gets its first true examination next Thursday when the Seahawks open the preseason against Indianapolis.
"These guys, they kind of joined forces in the offseason and kind of as a group, they knew they were up against it and wanted to make sure that they were going to give everything they had and put it all on the line," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "Bradley McDougald has done a great job of being the leader in that group and it's a good, tight group and they're ready to take on the challenge of getting through camp and getting through all of the learning and the experience that's necessary here is all part of the process, but their attitude is really strong and they're really determined to do something with this."
McDougald is almost certain to claim one of the positions. Which one is the question. He filled in as both free and strong safety last year when injuries sidelined Thomas and Kam Chancellor. McDougald was the starting strong safety after Chancellor was lost for the season in early November to a neck injury.
That doesn't mean McDougald will be the strong safety. Throughout the first week of training camp http://www.billsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trent-murphy-jersey , Seattle has rotated its safeties in both positions in an attempt to see how interchangeable the players can be.
"They have the opportunity to show themselves and it's a lot of competition," defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. said. "Great communication, it's showing up every day. Doing extra work, asking a lot of good questions. But, this is their chance to really step up and show us what they have."
With McDougald seemingly a cinch to take one of the safety spots, the remaining position appears to be a four-way competition between Tedric Thompson, Delano Hill, Maurice Alexander and Mike Tyson. And it's Thompson and Hill that appear to be getting the most opportunity early on.
It makes sense Seattle would give Thompson and Hill the most reps. The Seahawks invested major draft capital in the pair a year ago, taking Hill in the third round and Thompson in the fourth round. They were allowed to spend last season learning behind Thomas and Chancellor with the idea they could eventually take over for the veteran Seahawks safeties.
The replacement has arrived sooner than expected Adidas Steven Stamkos Jersey , accelerated by Thomas' holdout.
"Earl is a special, special player. At the same time, the guys that are here are working really hard and competing and they have the opportunity to show what they can do," Norton said.
From a look standpoint, Thompson fits the mold of a free safety and Hill looks more like a strong safety. But each is working at both positions as Seattle often adjusts its safety alignments based off the offensive formation. Neither has the sideline-to-sideline speed of Thomas, but Norton has said Seattle's scheme won't change.
"I view it as competing. First game is a little ways to go. I've got a lot to improve on," Thompson said. "I don't focus on if I'm starting today or not starting today. We all get the same amount of reps so it's all about competing."
.
”It’s hard to have a `low motor’ and be the defensive player of the year two years in a row in a tough conference Natrell Jamerson Jersey Elite ,” Ainge said Friday after the news conference to introduce Williams.
Williams was named the Southeastern Conference’s co-defensive player of the year in 2018 after winning the award outright in 2017.
”That’s pretty hard to do if you don’t have the motor,” Ainge said. ”But if the motor can get better, that’s an even bigger upside.”
A 6-foot-10, 237-pound native of Oil City, Louisiana, Williams had been considered a lottery pick after his freshman year but he returned to play another season in college. He was projected as an early first-rounder in this year’s draft, but he fell to the Celtics at No. 27 overall.
Williams said his mother believed he needed another year to mature in college. Asked if he regretted not coming out after his freshman year, Williams broke into a wide smile and shook his head to show he wasn’t second-guessing that decision.
”I mean, I’m standing right here Justin Bethel Color Rush Jersey ,” said Williams, who was assigned the No. 44 that was worn by Ainge during his Celtics playing career. ”I feel like I landed in a great place. It’s only up from here.”
Williams arrived in Boston earlier in the week and already has spent a couple of days working out at the team’s new training facility, the Auerbach Center. One of those workouts was at 6:30 a.m. on Friday before the news conference.
Incumbent power forward Al Horford was there to greet him on Wednesday.
”He just gave me the keys to success,” Williams said. ”Boston is a place that loves hard work. They love players that give it their all.”
Speaking on the eve of the league’s free agency period, Ainge declined to comment on specific players who might be available but did say it was ”unlikely” the team would land a superstar. LeBron James, Chris Paul and Paul George are expected to be free agents, and Kawhi Leonard has asked the Spurs to trade him.
”We explore every trade of certain magnitude or superstar first-ballot Hall of Fame-type player,” Ainge said. ”We’re going to take a look and kick the tires and see if there’s something there, but that’s all. I think those things are unlikely.”
A year after a complete offseason overhaul – trading Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving and returning just four players from the team that earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in 2016-17 – Ainge said he doesn’t expect to make a major move.
”We don’t have the need Dolphins Albert Wilson Jersey ,” Ainge said. ”We have really good players and we want to surround them with role players.”
—
Throughout its offseason team activities, the Seattle Seahawks appeared to be settled at safety. Bradley McDougald would just continue his role from a year ago stepping in as a full-time starter alongside Earl Thomas.
That was before Thomas decided to take his demands for a new contract to the extreme by holding out, creating an unexpected competition and a bit of chaos in Seattle's defensive backfield.
With Thomas missing, Seattle's safeties are a revolving door of combinations trying to find the pairing that makes the most sense ahead of the Sept. 9 opener at Denver. The process of seeing how all those combinations look gets its first true examination next Thursday when the Seahawks open the preseason against Indianapolis.
"These guys, they kind of joined forces in the offseason and kind of as a group, they knew they were up against it and wanted to make sure that they were going to give everything they had and put it all on the line," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "Bradley McDougald has done a great job of being the leader in that group and it's a good, tight group and they're ready to take on the challenge of getting through camp and getting through all of the learning and the experience that's necessary here is all part of the process, but their attitude is really strong and they're really determined to do something with this."
McDougald is almost certain to claim one of the positions. Which one is the question. He filled in as both free and strong safety last year when injuries sidelined Thomas and Kam Chancellor. McDougald was the starting strong safety after Chancellor was lost for the season in early November to a neck injury.
That doesn't mean McDougald will be the strong safety. Throughout the first week of training camp http://www.billsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trent-murphy-jersey , Seattle has rotated its safeties in both positions in an attempt to see how interchangeable the players can be.
"They have the opportunity to show themselves and it's a lot of competition," defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. said. "Great communication, it's showing up every day. Doing extra work, asking a lot of good questions. But, this is their chance to really step up and show us what they have."
With McDougald seemingly a cinch to take one of the safety spots, the remaining position appears to be a four-way competition between Tedric Thompson, Delano Hill, Maurice Alexander and Mike Tyson. And it's Thompson and Hill that appear to be getting the most opportunity early on.
It makes sense Seattle would give Thompson and Hill the most reps. The Seahawks invested major draft capital in the pair a year ago, taking Hill in the third round and Thompson in the fourth round. They were allowed to spend last season learning behind Thomas and Chancellor with the idea they could eventually take over for the veteran Seahawks safeties.
The replacement has arrived sooner than expected Adidas Steven Stamkos Jersey , accelerated by Thomas' holdout.
"Earl is a special, special player. At the same time, the guys that are here are working really hard and competing and they have the opportunity to show what they can do," Norton said.
From a look standpoint, Thompson fits the mold of a free safety and Hill looks more like a strong safety. But each is working at both positions as Seattle often adjusts its safety alignments based off the offensive formation. Neither has the sideline-to-sideline speed of Thomas, but Norton has said Seattle's scheme won't change.
"I view it as competing. First game is a little ways to go. I've got a lot to improve on," Thompson said. "I don't focus on if I'm starting today or not starting today. We all get the same amount of reps so it's all about competing."
.