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Defensive end Sam Hubbard dreamed about chasing


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Date Nov. 21st 05:12 AM Icon 479 Date 0

 

Ravens [url=www.coltscheapshop.com]Margus Hunt Jersey[/url] , Steelers and Browns quarterbacks around the field someday.Early in the Bengals' first prime time game of the season, the rookie sacked Joe Flacco for a key play in Cincinnati's decisive start.The third-round pick from Cincinnati has a lot of company in the up-and-coming category. The Bengals (2-0) are getting the biggest plays from some of their newest players, especially on a defense that has given up a lot of yards but forced decisive turnovers at the end.The young players were expected to add depth at the start of the season, but they've wound up changing the course of games."It's very encouraging," said end Carlos Dunlap , the third-oldest player on the defense at age 29. "I feel this year more than any, we have a 1A and 1B of pass rushers and run stoppers."And, so far, playmakers who stepped into starring roles well ahead of expectations.In the season opener, Andrew Luck was driving the Colts to what would have been a winning touchdown when second-year safety Clayton Fejedelem stripped tight end Jack Doyle of the ball at the Cincinnati 15-yard line and returned it for a touchdown and a 34-23 win .Fejedelem was in the game because veteran safety Shawn Williams was ejected in the first quarter for a hit on Luck. Fejedelem wound up playing alongside rookie safety Jessie Bates.The Bengals' 34-23 win over the Ravens on Thursday night featured more important moments from newcomers. Hubbard's sack set up a Ravens punt during a 21-point Cincinnati spurt in the first half.End Michael Johnson — the oldest player on defense at age 31 — suffered a knee injury on his fourth play and didn't return. Hubbard wound up playing 50 of the defense's 85 snaps."We were coming in waves all night," Hubbard said. "Mike went down early, and we stepped up and rallied together. Whoever was fresh was going out there and trying to make a play. We just kept coming and just trying to wear them down."With linebacker Preston Brown hurt and Vontaze Burfict suspended, third-year linebacker Nick Vigil played all 85 snaps and led with nine tackles and one pass batted away.Young players were involved in everything. Bates was on the field for all but one snap and had a first-quarter interception that set up the Bengals' first touchdown.Second-year ends Carl Lawson and Jordan Willis were on the field for 53 and 49 snaps [url=www.coltscheapshop.com]Cheap Braden Smith Jersey[/url] , respectively. Second-year tackle Ryan Glasgow played 28 snaps.The decisive play came as the Ravens were trying to put together a tying drive with just under three minutes left, trailing 31-23. Williams hit Flacco as he tried to pass, causing a fumble that Willis recovered at the Ravens 29-yard line. Randy Bullock's field goal with 2:25 left sealed it.Luck threw for 319 yards in the opener and the Colts piled up 380 yards overall. Flacco threw for 376 yards and the Ravens had 425 in all. The Bengals made enough plays to offset their youthful mistakes."The young guys are believing," said seventh-year cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. "I've got to admit, I used to be inconsistent, being a little selfish, but you've got to grow up. You've got young guys that are watching. They're looking, and I don't want to give off the wrong message."The Bengals are off to only their fifth 2-0 start under coach Marvin Lewis, who is in his 16th season. He's got the youngest team in Bengals history — 35 of the 53 players are age 25 or younger. So far, it's passing the test."Everything's new around here now, and it's a great feeling," Kirkpatrick said.BULLOCK EXTENSION: Bullock signed a two-year extension on Tuesday through the 2020 season. He was in the final year of a two-year deal. He's made 27 of 30 field-goal attempts and 45 of 47 extra-point attempts since joining the Bengals during the 2016 season. He has made all of his four field-goal attempts and all eight extra-point attempts this season. The Indianapolis Colts figured Darius Leonard would emerge as a defensive playmaker one day.He skipped the learning curve.Two weeks into his rookie season, the weakside linebacker leads the NFL with 27 tackles [url=www.coltscheapshop.com]Cheap T.Y. Hilton Jersey[/url] , already has forced one fumble, recovered another, had a sack and provided a new, dynamic dimension in the Colts' rebuilt defense."When we came here, there were only one or two guys (at linebacker)," defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said Tuesday."He was kind of thrust into that position and we treated him as such. He's grabbed that role, taken it and he's done a good job with it."Just how impressive has the 6-foot-2, 234-pound, 23-year-old been?Leonard's 18-tackle performance Sunday at Washington was the fifth-best grade by a linebacker since Eberflus implemented his points system in 1995.Some view Leonard's immediate impact as a surprise, but he was pretty impressive in college.Leonard set the career record for tackles (394) at South Carolina State, a Football Championship Subdivision school largely overshadowed by the state's more prominent programs at Clemson and South Carolina as well as Furman, the 1988 FCS national champions.Twice he was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference defensive player of the year and Leonard got his nickname "Maniac" following a 19-tackle performance against Clemson in 2016.The knock on him going into the draft was he needed more size and strength to hold up in the NFL and time to make the transition from small-school star to NFL contributor.Colts general manager Chris Ballard saw it differently after watching Leonard for one week in Mobile, Alabama [url=www.coltscheapshop.com]www.coltscheapshop.com[/url] , in January."You always want to watch the small school guys when you go to the Senior Bowl because now they're facing the bigger competition," Ballard said after making Leonard the first of Indy's four second-round draft picks in April."I thought he stood out. His speed, his athleticism, his ability to cover. When the four 'backers went, we thought Darius was the fifth-best backer in the draft."Leonard certainly has played like it.Despite missing all but one day of offseason workouts, Leonard returned to the field when the Colts' rookies reported in late July and made a quick impression on the veterans."I think it was pretty much the first time you saw it, the first practice of training camp when he caught the interception off of Andrew Luck," second-year linebacker Anthony Walker said."First of all, that's a big-time quarterback there and that was a big-time play. We knew right there — that's why we drafted him."Leonard continued playing well during the preseason and his ability to stay healthy allowed him not only to win a starting job, but also the right to call the defensive signals in the huddle.So far, he's flashed the speed to make plays from sideline to sideline and deliver game-changing ones, too.But Leonard's best attribute might be his attitude.He's eager to clean up mistakes, remains humble and enjoys breaking down game tapes.That's hardly a surprise from someone who helped decipher prep games so he could help coach players at his high school while he was in college."I just work hard and just take coaching [url=www.coltscheapshop.com]www.coltscheapshop.com[/url] ," he said. "That's the big thing, I take all the coaching I can get, follow all the details and do all the little things."It's made a huge difference in one of the league's most inexperienced linebacker groups.Leonard, Walker and free-agent signee linebacker Najee Goode have combined for 12 NFL starts — exactly half coming during the first two weeks this season.And, so far, Leonard has been the star with back-to-back memorable performances that have surprised the doubters but nobody in the Colts' locker room."As a rookie, it's hard to find someone like that — someone who prepares the way he prepares. The things that he does really sets him apart," Walker said."He's miles ahead of where I was last year and just the confidence and stuff he plays with, he's miles ahead of me."


 
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