Petitionen & Spendenaufrufe » compete, and he loves to play and work,

DAVIE, Fla. -- Isaiah Pead is the Miami Dolphins leading rusher this preseason, and there are other ways to measure his rising stock as he challenges for a roster spot and perhaps even a spot in the running back rotation.Early this year Pead was out of the NFL, living with his mom and distressed by his unfulfilled potential as a former second-round draft pick.There was time when I sat back and said, `Man, what happened? he said Monday. Then you wake up the next day and get to work.Pead considered looking for a regular job or starting a trucking company back home in Columbus, Ohio. Instead he continued to work at football, staying in shape and trying out whenever teams beckoned.He estimates he worked out for eight or 10 teams this past offseason before receiving a contract offer from the Dolphins in March, and he has made plenty of positive plays in the drills, practices and practice games since.It just seems like every time he touches the ball, something good happens for us, coach Adam Gase said.Pead has had a strong training camp at an unsettled position. First-team running back Jay Ajayi is unproven, second-teamer Arian Foster is coming back from Achilles tendon surgery, and neither was impressive in the first two preseason games.By contrast, Pead had a 45-yard run and a 30-yard reception Friday at Dallas. In two games he has 98 yards rushing in 14 carries, a 7.0 average. Ajayi and Foster have combined for 20 yards in 10 carries, a 2.0 average.Pead is trying to help his chances with the Dolphins by playing on four special teams units, something he never did in high school or at the University of Cincinnati.This league is special, Pead said. To be in this league, youve got to be a special person. I always knew I could play in this league. It was just a matter of capitalizing on opportunities. Heres one.Quarterback Ryan Tannehill said Pead is doing his best to take advantage of the chance.I didnt know a whole lot about him, Tannehill said. But he has really impressed me since he has been here with the way he works. Hes constantly out there working.Pead was drafted 50th overall in 2012 by the St. Louis Rams but carried the ball only 19 times for them and missed the 2014 season because of a knee injury.After the Rams released him last September, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers but never saw action.It teaches you the downside of how this league can be, Pead said.Already discouraged by a succession of unsuccessful tryouts last spring, he wasnt optimistic about landing a deal after he worked out for the Dolphins.I dropped a couple of balls, I stumbled a few times, Pead said. I texted my agent, `I think I blew this one.Miami called later that day with a contract offer.We knew his background, Gase said. He did enough in the workout. It wasnt as bad as he was making it out to be. He did well enough for us to say, `Lets give this guy a shot, and he has made the most of it.When Peads career is done, he still plans to start a business with dump trucks or semis, but now hes thinking he might base his company in South Florida.I love it down here, Pead said with a grin, hopeful he has finally found an NFL home.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve-Wine His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/steven-wine Wholesale NFL Jerseys Authentic . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. 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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- While Odell Beckham Jr. probably must wait at least another week to play in a game with Victor Cruz, the thought of being on the same field with him and rookie Sterling Shepard is exciting.If all three can play, the Giants passing game has the potential to be very special.There is no doubt Beckham will continue to draw the double coverages, but that should help Cruz and Shepard, and make things a little easier for Eli Manning.Cruz, who missed all of last season with a calf injury, did not work Wednesday as the Giants held their final practice before Fridays preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.Coach Ben McAdoo was not available to update Cruzs status after practice, and offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan would not comment on his status.Beckham is ready, though, and so is Shepard, the second-round draft pick listed as a starter on the depth chart for the game.You put two people on me and you have one on one with them and I would take them one on one pretty much against anyone out there, so its going to be a lot of fun, Beckham said after practice.Beckham has had almost nothing but fun since joining the Giants two years ago. Despite missing the first four games in his rookie season with a hamstring injury, the flamboyant wide receiver has 187 catches for 2,755 yards and 25 touchdowns, including that memorable one-hander against Dallas as a rookie.This year has even more promise. The defense has been shored up via free agency, and the offense seemingly has some people who can complement Beckham. The six games the Giants lost in the final quarter and overtime in 2015 might now be winnable.I do feel as if this team is working harder, I feel as if we have a better chance at definitely being better than 6-10, and thats obviously the goal, Beckham said. One game at a time. You want to be playing on February 5 in HHouston.ddddddddddddAfter resting in the offseason, Beckham hopes to be more patient this year. He wants to run his routes better and be there for the new guys when they need help.Year in and year out, there is going to be something that I find to improve on and get better on, Beckham said. No matter what I do the year before, its always going to be what can I do to be better than last year?Sullivan called Beckham a special talent.I think when you are at practice, you guys witness, but mostly the fans or people who dont have the chance to come and see, how hard the guy works, Sullivan told reporters. He really loves practice, he loves to compete, and he loves to play and work, and we continue to try to push him in terms of expanding his versatility.Neither Beckham nor Sullivan is worried about Cruzs latest injury. He was limited to six games in 2014 by a knee injury and lost all of last year with the calf problem.I keep reminding him that his first game is Sept. 11, even though you have to get your feet wet in the preseason, Beckham said of Cruz. Again, I hate saying that, but its irrelevant. You could go for 200 yards and none of it is going to matter. You could go for zero yards and none of it is going to matter. All that matters is that youre prepared for Week 1.Beckham is ready now.Game notes PK Josh Brown kicked roughly a 63-yard field goal in the rain in practice. ... McAdoo did something different than former coach Tom Coughlin in practice Wednesday. He kept the team on the field when it started raining. Coughlin moved practices indoors. ...DE Kerry Wynn (groin) missed his first practice of camp, and linebacker Keenan Robinson (groin) missed his second in a row.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '