CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Cornerback Leon Hall jogged toward the right side of the defence and took his customary place, matched against receiver Mohamed Sanu. 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. Rik Smits Jersey . - Titans quarterback Jake Locker will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, leaving Tennessee trying to rally with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Micheal Williams Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Marc-Andre Fleury, Penguins (3) - Surrendered a tough first goal against on a deflection through the body short side. https://www.cheappacers.com/1063k-steve-...sey-pacers.html. LOUIS -- David Ross never expected to be on a World Series podium. Naz Mitrou-Long Jersey .C. -- Kurt Busch put his chances at "70 per cent" at running the Indianapolis 500 this year because of recent developments that have pushed a potential program along. Custom Indiana Pacers Jerseys .com) - The University of Montana named Bob Stitt as its new head football coach on Tuesday.Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - The sixth-ranked Arizona Wildcats put a lengthy homecourt winning streak on the line on Wednesday evening, as they take on the Oregon Ducks in a Pac-12 tilt at the McKale Center. Sean Millers Wildcats are sporting the second-longest active homecourt winning streak in the nation, now sitting at 32 games. Arizona has won four straight games overall and six of its last seven to move to 18-2 on the season. With Saturdays 73-50 rout of California in Berkeley, the Wildcats moved to 6-1 in conference play, good for a first-place tie with Utah. Dana Altmans Ducks enter this contest off one of their best performances of the season, as lethal shooting led to a rather easy 82-64 whipping of UCLA over the weekend. The victory was the second straight for Oregon, which is now 14-6 overall and 4-3 in the Pac-12. These two teams met just a couple of weeks ago in Eugene, with the visiting Wildcats making light work of the Ducks in a lopsided 80-62 decision. With the win, Arizona improved to 47-26 all-time against Oregon. The Cats are a solid 27-8 against the Ducks in Tucson. The Ducks could do no wrong in their showdown with the Bruins over the weekend, as they set a Matthew Knight Arena record for 3-point accuracy (.692), while converting a scorching .623 from the floor overall (season- best). Almost everyone got involved in the scoring onslaught, including five Ducks who finished in double figures. Joseph Young led the charge with 16 points, followed closely by Dwayne Benjamin and his 15. Elgin Cook tacked on 11 points, while Ahmaad Rorie and Jalil Abdul-Bassit checked in with 10 points apiece. While the teams efficiency was a little out of the ordinary, Oregon has been an offensive force by nature. The Ducks come in as the Pac-12s top scoring team at a hefty 77.8 ppg. Randle is the go-to-guy at the offensive end, ranking second in the Pac-12 in scoring at an impressive 19.dddddddddddd3 ppg. Young leads the conference in 3-pointers made (2.7 per game), and is responsible for over a third of Oregons 3-pointers to date (54-of-155). Far more than a one-trick pony, Young is also tops on the team in assists (70), while finding time to grab just under five boards per game (4.8). Scoring help comes in the form of Dillon Brooks and Cook, who chime in with 13.2 and 11.9 ppg, respectively. Arizona has the ability to win games at either end of the floor, as evidenced by the teams +15.5 scoring margin (second in the Pac-12). The Wildcats arent far behind the Ducks in terms of scoring potential, ranking second in the league at 75.1 ppg. However, the defensive effort has been strong as well, with UA ranking third in scoring defense (59.5 ppg) and first in rebounding margin (+7.1). Freshman forward Stanley Johnson has made an immediate impact in Tucson and currently leads the team in both scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg). Frontcourt depth comes in the form of Brandon Ashley (11.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (10.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Point guard T.J. McConnell (9.0 ppg) can score, but is at his best when doling out to his teammates (third in the conference at 5.9 apg). The Wildcats held a 10-point lead in the first half and that ballooned to 24 points in the second half, as Arizona cruised to victory over the helpless Golden Bears. Arizona shot 49 percent from the floor and outscored California 23-1 at the free-throw line in the game. Johnson led the way again and just missed a double-double, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds. Dusan Ristic came off the bench to tally 12 points, while center Kaleb Tarczewski finished with 10. ' ' '