ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- From his catchy nickname to his sturdy performance on the field, Calvin Johnson often seems indestructible. So it was a bit startling when the star wide receiver was limited by injuries toward the end of last season, finally sitting out the finale after his Detroit Lions were eliminated from playoff contention. Johnson had surgery in the off-season on a knee and a finger, both of which caused problems for him in 2013. He still put up terrific numbers for the Lions, but he was held under 100 yards in the last three games he played and couldnt prevent the collapse that kept Detroit out of the post-season. On Tuesday, "Megatron" was out on the practice field, preparing for what he hopes will be a healthier, more successful season. "It feels great to be out here playing with the guys," Johnson said. "I missed a lot of practice time last year before games. You definitely feel like you need that practice time before a game, just to get on one accord with your quarterback." Johnson caught 84 passes for 1,492 yards last season -- great stats for almost any player, but his worst output in both categories since 2010. It was never entirely clear how much Johnsons knee was bothering him, but then-coach Jim Schwartz conceded in late December that the star receiver was nowhere near 100 per cent. "It was bad enough where I had to get it drained every week," Johnson said. "The finger, it was stuck at 90 degrees. Its good to have those things freed up." The Lions fired Schwartz and replaced him with Jim Caldwell in the off-season, meaning Detroit is implementing a new offence. Quarterback Matthew Stafford will be under pressure to limit the mistakes that plagued him last year -- and he should have an easier time if Johnson is back at full strength. Although Johnson missed only two games last season, he wasnt able to practice all that regularly. That time is valuable even for a veteran who will turn 29 in September. "You kind of lose your wind a little bit. You know the plays, but I feel that you have to go out there and practice to be able to play at your best," Johnson said. "Im a firm believer in that. I had experience in the offence, therefore I was able to go out there and still play, but Im a firm believer that being out there during the week definitely improves your performance on Sunday." With Nate Burleson no longer on the Lions, Johnson is now the elder statesmen of Detroit wide receivers, and hes always led by example. Its easier to do that, of course, when hes healthy enough to practice. "Its nice to have him back and working at full strength. Im so happy for him," centre Dominic Raiola said. "The guys so tough. Its hard to get him out of there. Hell play through anything. For him to be healthy right now and being out there with the team, thats big time." NOTES: Caldwell said injured CB Chris Houston has been excused from practice. Rookie WR T.J. Jones, the teams sixth-round draft pick, was also excused Tuesday. ... Caldwell joked a bit about his reputation for remaining even-keeled. "Theres no need for a whole lot of cussing, screaming, yelling and all that kind of stuff," Caldwell said. "Its a mini quiz out here. I never had any of my professors yelling in my ear when I was sitting at the desk filling out those multiple-choice questions." . Dalton completed his only pass and led the Bengals to a touchdown in his only drive -- one that took four minutes to finish -- and the Cincinnati Bengals ended the preseason with a 27-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night. . He will just have to wait a little longer. Bester grabbed an early lead before Scotlands Darren Burnett took over and ran away with the mens singles lawn bowling final 21-9 on Friday.
http://www.texansrookiestore.com/Texans ... in-Jersey/. LOUIS -- The St. . Setting United on its way to a 2-0 victory, Rooney sent the ball high from inside the halfway line over goalkeeper Adrian after just seven minutes. "Its just instinct, Ive turned and had a quick look and seen the goalkeeper off his line," Rooney said. .C. Lions signed cornerback Dante Marsh to a contract extension on Friay and released receiver Paris Jackson.Baseballs most prominent agent, Scott Boras, openly criticized the Toronto Blue Jays stagnant offseason on Sunday, likening the team to a "car with a huge engine that is impeded by a big corporate stop sign." Speaking to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Boras, the man who represents the likes of Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder, 2013 AL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper, places the blame on general manager Alex Anthopouloss failure to dip into the free agent market on the shoulders of Jays ownership, a group Boras deems "a successful and committed ownership that needs to give their baseball people financial flexibility." "There is no one who has the asset base of Rogers," Boras said to Rosenthal. "[Torontos] a premium city. Its a premium owner with equity. And its a very, very good team that with additional premium talent could become a contending team." Outside of catcher Dioner Navarro, the Jays, tipped to be after free agent pitching and a second baseman, have remained entirely inactive while the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez, A.J. Burnett and Masahiro Tanaka found new clubs. Because the team has two protected first-round picks, the Jays seemingly would have leverage when it comes to compensation-eligible free agents. Anthopoulos, for his part, defended ownership on being informed of Borass remarks. "Our ownership has been outstanding and given us all the resources we need," said Anthopoulos. The Blue Jays and Boras have traditionally had a frosty relationship. Borass very first major contract showdown was between the Jays and reliever Bill Caudill in 1984. After acquiring the pitcher from the Oakland As, Boras negotiated a five-year extension for his client at $1.5 million a season that made him the highest paid player on the team. Caudill flamed out due to injury and was released in 1986 after pitching only jjust over 105 innings for the team.dddddddddddd The acrimony from the deal lingered. In 2009, the Jays drafted lefty starter James Paxton of Ladner, BC. The Jays could not come to an agreement with Paxton, who was being advised by Boras at the time, and he chose to head back to the University of Kentucky to play for its baseball team. Blue Jays president Paul Beeston called into question the actual nature of Paxtons relationship with Boras. "Because it was Scott, the way you deal, you deal through him," Beeston told the Globe and Mail at the time. "You dont deal through the family." The NCAA allows its athletes to have "family advisers," but forbids them from having agents, as it would compromise their amateur status. Due to Beestons comments, the NCAA launched an investigation into Paxtons arrangement with Boras. Paxton did not participate with the investigation out of fear of being suspended by the school. Kentucky, fearing that the school would face sanctions if it allowed Paxton to play whilst under investigation, filed a motion that allowed Paxton to keep his scholarship and remain part of the team, but did not let him actually play in any games. Part of that filing included the suggestion that Paxton breached the "no agent" rule. Paxton, now a member of the Seattle Mariners, was eventually declared ineligible and left the school for a Texas team in the independent league. Boras currently represents two of the last three compensation free agents on the market (with starter Ervin Santana the other) in Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales. The Jays dont appear to have any interest in Morales, but could explore the possibility of slotting Drew in at second base. The 30-year-old former Red Sox shortstop has never played a game at second in his career. The Blue Jays open their exhibition schedule on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies in Dunedin, Florida. ' ' '
