Regeln » r.Finally, Kershaw emerged, taller than the fans and employ

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee left tackle Taylor Lewan has made no secret of his desire to be considered the NFLs best at his position, the kind of reputation built by playing well against the top pass rushers.Not only has Jack Conklin been one of the leagues most impressive rookies, hes already considered one of the leagues top right tackles.Lewan and Conklin, along with the rest of the Titans, have allowed just 18 sacks, fifth fewest in the NFL, after allowing Tennessee quarterbacks to be sacked a league-worst 54 times in 2015.Their protection of Marcus Mariota will be tested heavily Sunday when Von Miller and his NFL-high 13 + sacks and the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos (8-4) visit looking to pad their league-leading 36 sack total.Theyre unbelievable pass rushers, and theyre great football players, not just pass rushers, Lewan said Wednesday. Having this opportunity is huge, and its awesome. I cant wait.Mariota missed four games as a rookie after being hurt in the pocket. Through the 12 games he played in 2015, he was sacked 38 times. This season only Oakland (12) and the Giants, Pittsburgh and Washington (all tied with 16) have allowed fewer sacks than Tennessee. The Titans also rank seventh allowing a sack per pass attempt on 4.7 percent of passes.The quarterback has noticed how much less he finds himself scrambling away from pass rushers.Those five guys up front have done an incredible job, Mariota said. As we go forward, we can always improve in certain areas. I can always get the ball out quicker, throw the ball away, but those guys up front have done a great job and have made my life a whole lot easier.Improving the offensive line had been at the top of Tennessees to-do list in recent years, and first-year general manager Jon Robinson made the key moves to set up this unit.Robinson signed veteran center Ben Jones away from Houston to anchor the middle, then traded back up to No. 8 overall to take Conklin out of Michigan State. Conklin has started every game at right tackle, helping bookend the line opposite Lewan.He doesnt look like a rookie, Miller said on a conference call. He doesnt look like a rookie for sure -- very athletic. He has all the abilities to be an elite tackle in the National Football League.The Titans have protected Mariota so well that theyve now kept him from being sacked at all in four of their last eight games. That has coincided with Mariota throwing at least two touchdown passes in each of those games, with Tennessee going 5-3 in that span.Broncos coach Gary Kubiak is very familiar with Jones, having coached the lineman in Houston. Kubiak also credits Mariotas improved play with helping the Titans quarterback avoid some sacks.Obviously, as coaches, you try to protect your quarterback as best you can, Kubiak said. At the same time, as quarterbacks play more and more, they can protect themselves, too. I think all those things go hand-in-hand, but you see how much more comfortable he is and, obviously, theyre very good up front.Conklin watched Miller earn MVP honors at Super Bowl 50 in February and now is preparing to face the linebacker who has posted double-digit sack totals in five of his first six seasons. Yes, Conklin says that feels a little weird. The rookie insists hes over being star struck this deep into the season.What we focus on is everyones just another player, Conklin said. If we stop focusing as much of who they are and just what we have to do on each play, it takes a little bit away from it.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL.---Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalkerWholesale Air Max 90 . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Womens Air Max 2018 Shoe . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. http://www.airmax90china.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Grey Air Max 2018 Online . LUCIE, Fla. Cheap Air Max 90 2018 . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe.RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. - About an hour before first pitch, Clayton Kershaw sits in the middle of left field, not stretching. Two months since his last start, hes alone, with his hat on and his knees bent, lost in thought. The crowd of reverent fans, many clad in Dodger blue with No. 22 on their backs, form a mass on the left-field wall and raise their phones above their heads and to the right, as if drawn to a magnet.This isnt Dodger Stadium but LoanMart Field -- home to the Quakes, the Dodgers Class A advanced affiliate. And for the past hour, starting at around 5 p.m., fans have been lining up and piling in, ready to see the best pitcher on the planet pitch against the Modesto Nuts.News came the day before that Kershaw would start here as part of a rehab assignment, his first live-game action since June 26 in Pittsburgh. Saturday nights are already the most popular, because its fireworks night, said Mike Lindskog, the voice of the Quakes on FoxSports 1350. But when the word came that Kershaw was pitching, it took 30 minutes to sell out.Fans quickly noticed the difference. It only gets anywhere close to this on bobblehead nights, one fan said.At 7:05 p.m. Kershaw took the mound, wearing home white and No. 40, every eye in the ballpark fixated on the mound. Few of the 4,700 in attendance milled about at concessions or the team store. Everyone wanted to see the star throw.Kershaw started with two easy strikeouts and retired the third batter with a grounder to short. Another strikeout started the second. On the next batter, Kershaw threw one of those curveballs that floats over the top, then drops in for a strike, eliciting rousing oohs and aahs from the crowd. He got his fifth strikeout to open the third, then allowed his only hit when Modestos Robbie Perkins dribbled a ball just past home plate and catcher Will Smith?was off target on the throw to first. A 6-4-3 double play ensured Kershaw left the game with no balls making it out of the infield.And just like that, after some 20 minutes on the mound Kershaw was done. He threw 34 pitches on the night, 23 of which were strikes, with his fastball hitting 94 mph. After leaving the game, Kershaww threw about 15 more pitches in the bullpen to reach his pitch count.dddddddddddd The crowd congregated again along the left-field wall, phones in hand, peering over each other at Kershaw working.Hes obviously the best pitcher Ive ever caught, said Smith, a Dodgers first-round selection out of Louisville in 2015. I got to learn a bit from him.The biggest differences, Smith said, were in Kershaws command and sequence of pitches. His slider was nasty, and his fastball was pretty good. That curveball, which wasnt really on tonight, but when hes got that on, you can see why hes NL MVP.It was when talking about the curveball, which Kershaw himself said wasnt up to par, that Smith had the widest eyes.After Kershaw left the bullpen, the mass of fans drifted to the nondescript green door marking the home teams clubhouse exit. A metal gate and a law enforcement officer stood between the fans and the door, and the crowd ballooned up the stairway for more than half an hour, waiting for Kershaw to come out. Where is Clayton Kershaw? one girl asked loudly of her mother.Finally, Kershaw emerged, taller than the fans and employees. Wearing a dark blue shirt and blue equipment bag over his right shoulder, he walked slowly down the outdoor corridor with fans following in a trail outside the gate. He didnt smile and didnt speak, looking calm but tired. He stopped near the front of the gate and signed some balls amid clamoring cheers. He walked past more crowd, signed more balls and exited toward a black Suburban.After the start, Kershaw said he thought hed pitch in the majors in four or five days, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has since confirmed hell be back on the mound in Miami on Friday. But for one night in Rancho Cucamonga, with just three innings pitched, Kershaw was the main event.With the black Suburban gone, the crowd dispersed back into the corridors and the walkways to catch the rest of the game. But one member of the Quakes staff stood for a moment, looking back at the now deserted gate, and said, That was awesome. ' ' '