CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Cornerback Leon Hall jogged toward the right side of the defence and took his customary place, matched against receiver Mohamed Sanu.Nick Bjugstad Jersey . The play was a handoff, so Hall didnt have to do much. Thats not what mattered. Hall lined up for the first 11-on-11 play in the Bengals first practice of training camp on Thursday, an encouraging sign for one of the NFLs top defences. "It means a lot," Hall said. The 29-year-old cornerback tore his right Achilles tendon midway through last season, the second time hes sustained such an injury. He tore his left Achilles in 2011, but was back as the starter the following year and played very well. Hes made another quick and full recovery. "There was never really a doubt in my mind," Hall said. "It was just trying to be patient enough to go through that long process again." Even though hes fine physically, Hall hasnt been able to be on the field during off-season workouts, so hes still got a lot of work to do on his form. At one point during the afternoon practice, he went to the sideline and worked on his side-to-side movement. "I felt good," he said after practice. "No pain. I felt strong. My footwork wasnt very good, but thats going to come in a few days." Defensive tackle Geno Atkins is coming back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament and wanted to participate in the first practice, but was held out on Thursday as a precaution. Coach Marvin Lewis wants to give him a few days to ease in before hes cleared to fully practice. Hall is a mainstay on a defence that has ranked among the leagues top 10 for each of the past three years, finishing third overall in yards allowed last season. The Bengals never doubted that hed be ready despite his second significant injury in three seasons. "Leon, he works hard at everything he does," defensive co-ordinator Paul Guenther said. "If you can have a poster child for a coachs guy, thats him. Hell do whatever he has to do. He spent the whole off-season getting that thing back to go. Im excited to see him back on the field." After Halls Achilles surgery in 2011, there were doubts about whether he would still be quick enough to cover the other teams top receiver. When he got back on the field, he was just as good, if not better. "His speed became better last time, which is really something," Lewis said. "I thought he played faster in 2012 than he did before. I think thats what excites him about this: Maybe anatomically Ive got something that made me better." Hall doesnt know if he was that much faster after the first Achilles surgery, but all of the rehabilitation work has him in good shape for the start of camp. "I feel like I felt years ago, before I did the first one," Hall said. "Ive heard numerous times that your Achilles is technically stronger after you have the surgery. I wouldnt suggest going and tearing your Achilles, but thats just what I heard from the doctors and people in general. Thats good news. "I feel better. Lets just hope it translates to the field." Notes: The Bengals claimed first-year WR Conner Vernon off waivers from Cleveland and signed free agent WR Jeremy Johnson, a rookie from Southern Methodist. They waived punter T.J. Conley. ... OL Andrew Whitworth was held out of practice with a sore calf. ... At the start of practice, a couple of fans hung two banners from a public bridge that overlooks the practice fields. The first banner urged the Bengals not to sign quarterback Andy Dalton to a contract extension. The other said: "AJ to AJ, the future is now." The Bengals signed quarterback AJ McCarron in the fifth round. McCarron didnt throw to A.J. Green on Thursday -- hes resting a sore passing shoulder. Aleksander Barkov Florida Panthers Jersey . The Dane is leaving the Premier League club after 20 months, having signed a new contract in March 2013 after being linked with leading clubs following his teams triumph in the League Cup. Jonathan Huberdeau Florida Panthers Jersey. The Canadiens fell short in Game 4 with Matt Fraser scoring the 1-0 overtime goal to tie this series, but arent hanging their heads from yesterdays loss. "Im pleased with our team effort.WINNIPEG -- After a frantic first period Blake Wheeler might have been forgotten if not for what he did in the third. Wheeler scored two goals, including the winner, as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 6-4 on Friday in a game that featured a seven-goal first period. Wheeler ended a scramble in front of the Minnesota net when he poked the puck under a prone Niklas Backstrom with 9:20 remaining in the third period for his 14th goal of the season, giving the Jets a 5-4 lead. It was the ninth goal in December for Wheeler, who started the season with just five goals in his first 28 games. "I think confidence plays into it," he said of his recent success. "When the puck starts going in the net you find yourself getting into the scoring areas a little bit more. The puck seems to bounce your way a little bit more." Evander Kane, Olli Jokinen, Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom added goals for Winnipeg. Dany Heatley, Justin Fontaine, Stephane Veilleux and Mikko Koivu were the goal scorers for Minnesota. The Jets (17-18-5), who were coming off a humbling loss in Edmonton on Monday, finally managed to beat the Wild after losing each of the first three meetings between the teams. It was a fourth straight loss for the Wild (20-14-5), who have now dropped six of their last eight games. Neither team seemed interested in playing defence after the three-day Christmas break. The Jets led 4-3 after a first period that saw seven goals scored in the first 7:04, and featured three lead changes. "We dont have the luxury of finding reasons for things not being OK," said Wild coach Mike Yeo, who said the first period was clearly a by-product of the extended break. "Were in a position where we have to make things right." Minnesota struck first when Heatley scored on a wide-open net after a pass from Jason Pominville 2:13 into the game. But the Jets grabbed the lead before the game was six minutes old thanks to a short-handed goal by Kane and a one-timer in the low slot byy Jokinen. Reilly Smith Jersey. "When they scored we responded, which was good to see," Kane said. It only took another 67 seconds for the Wild to go ahead 3-2, on goals by Fontaine and Veilleux. That ended Ondrej Pavelecs outing. The Jets starting goalie smashed his stick en route to the dressing room after allowing three goals on six shots, giving way to backup Al Montoya. Jets coach Claude Noel said the quick hook had more to do with his teams sluggish play in its own zone than anything. "I think our team needed a jolt," he said. Jets captain Andrew Ladd echoed the coach, saying that the team felt sympathy for the lack of support they provided for their goalkeeper. "I thought Monty did a great job once he got in there," Ladd said. "The first three goals, there was nothing Pav couldve done about them, so it was more about trying to get some momentum for our group on the bench." After nearly eight scoreless minutes, the Jets once again claimed the lead on late-period goals from Wheeler and Byfuglien. Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom allowed four goals on 11 first-period shots, and finished with 32 saves on 37 total shots. The lone goal in the second period came on a Wild power play, as a perfect passing sequence ended with an easy goal for Koivu to tie the game at 4-4. That was the only blemish for Montoya, who stopped the other 22 shots he faced. Enstrom added an empty-net goal from 175 feet with four seconds remaining. The Wild won each of the three previous meetings by one goal, including a shootout victory on Nov. 23. Both clubs return to action on Sunday, with the Jets travelling to Denver while the Wild head home to face the New York Islanders. Notes: Zach Parise, dealing with a lower-body injury, missed a second straight game for the Wild. ... The Jets were without defencemen Zach Bogosian (flu) and Mark Stuart, who was a late scratch with a lower-body injury after taking the morning skate. ... The teams have one remaining meeting, in Winnipeg on April 7. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
