Okkultismus » Villanueva. "I thought I had good stuff, a lot

METAIRIE, La. - The Saints defence has made takeaways its top priority after forcing an NFC-low 19 turnovers in 2013. Near the start of a workout in late May, New Orleans rookie cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste stripped wide receiver Andy Tanner after he made a short reception. That play set the tone. Defenders have continued to punch and slap at the ball in the first two practices of minicamp. Although New Orleans finished fourth in the NFL in yards allowed under new co-ordinator Rob Ryan last season — a dramatic improvement after yielding the most yards in NFL history a year earlier — Ryan wont be happy until he sees more turnovers. Seven fumble recoveries and 12 interceptions were not enough. "That was a glaring weakness last year," he says. "We did pretty decent as a unit, but we want to be great, and to be great, you have to take the ball away." They did more than just talk about it. They signed free agent Jairus Byrd, whose 22 interceptions since his rookie season in 2009 are the most for any NFL safety, and also picked up veteran Champ Bailey, whose 52 career interceptions are the most for any active cornerback. In film sessions, Ryan has repeatedly shown cutups of Chicago safety Charles Tillman punching out the ball. In 2012, Tillman forced 10 fumbles, which is three more than the Saints managed as a whole in 2013. "Great players can be imitated, and were trying to do that here," Ryan said. "Imitation is the biggest form of flattery. We know we have to improve on that." Linebacker Curtis Loftons statistics were a perfect illustration of the Saints strengths and weaknesses last year. He made a team-high 125 tackles for the resurgent defence but had a hand in only turnover, forcing a fumble against Miami. He did not recover a fumble or pick off a pass all season. "We didnt create enough turnovers, so thats definitely an emphasis for us," he said. "Weve been working on it, and its showing up in practice. Then we are going to take what we do in practice and do it in games." After winning the Super Bowl in 2009, New Orleans has returned to the playoffs in three of the last four years but has come up short of the NFC Championship Game each time. Seattle was the roadblock last year, hammering the Saints 34-7 in the regular season and beating them again 23-15 in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Saints werent that far behind the Seahawks in yards allowed per game (273.6 to 305.7) and registered 49 sacks to the Seahawks 44, but Seattle had more than twice as many takeaways with 39. "If you look at all the past great defences, they forced a lot of turnovers," Bailey said. "Theres a reason Seattle won the Super Bowl. They forced a lot of turnovers. If we dont get them, we wont go very far." Ryan expects the presence of Byrd and Bailey to help close that gap. Bailey deflected a pass that turned into an interception in the Saints first open practice of the summer. Byrd is out for the summer after undergoing back surgery, but coach Sean Payton said he was on schedule to return for the beginning of training camp. In addition to his interceptions, he forced 11 fumbles in his five years with Buffalo. Thats not Tillman territory, but it beats what the Saints did last year. "You can see guys attempting to punch through the ball, almost over-exaggerating it," said linebacker Junior Galette, who had 12 sacks last year but forced only one fumble. "Charles Tillman is a beast at it, and we are motivated to make the extra effort to knock it out." NOTES: During one 11-on-11 session in Wednesdays practice, a machine on the side of the field cranked up crowd noise as the offence approached the line of scrimmage on each play. Coach Sean Payton said it was the first time he has piped in noise during minicamp. The Saints went 3-5 on the road in the regular season last year — their first losing record away from home under Payton since 2008. .Minicamp ends with another practice on Thursday. ___ AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap Shoes China Free Shipping .com) - Scott Parel carded a 5-under 65 on Thursday and he grabbed a 1-stroke lead after one round of the season-opening Panama Claro Championship. Replica Shoes Wholesale .com) - The Los Angeles Kings peppered Ryan Miller with shot after shot. http://www.wholesaleshoes.us.org/ . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. Cheap Replica Shoes China .Y. - The Philadelphia Eagles game at Green Bay against the Packers on Nov. Wholesale Shoes From China .C. Lions 35-14, was named the CFLs offensive player of the week Tuesday. Sheets recorded his ninth 100-yard rushing performance of the season to tie the Riders club record. CHICAGO -- Homer Bailey doesnt even need to be at his best to win at Wrigley Field. Bailey pitched six scoreless innings in a friendly ballpark for his first win of the season and Jay Bruce homered and doubled as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 on Sunday. "He hasnt been his normal dominant self, but his slider has gotten a lot better," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Its a pitch that hes worked on for a long time. It seems like that pitch has really turned a corner and got him some big outs today." Bailey (1-1) struck out eight while allowing six hits and three walks. He came into the game with 8.16 ERA after signing a big extension in the off-season with Cincinnati. Zack Cozart hit a two-run homer for Cincinnati, which took two of three this weekend from the Cubs and has won 17 of 19 games at Wrigley Field. The Reds have won 10 straight when Bailey faces the Cubs. He is 7-0 in his last 10 outings against Chicago and 5-0 in his past six at Wrigley Field. The Reds are averaging 6 1/2 runs a game in Bailey starts. "It seems like every time I take the mound the bats show up. Im just glad I was finally able to help them out," said Bailey. The Cubs have lost six of seven. Carlos Villanueva (1-4) was tagged for five runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings. With two outs in the fourth, Devin Mesoraco and Cozart hit back-to-back RBI doubles to take a 2-0 lead. Mesoraco has a hit in all nine games hes played this season and leads the team in RBIs with 11. He missed the first week of the season with a strained oblique. Later in the inning, Bailey helped himself with an RBI single to extend the lead to 3-0. "Both times were in trouble with two outs and its the big leagues, youve got to put them away," Villanueva said. "When you give a team like that, an offensive team, a chance to throw a ccouple runs on the board theyll take advantage of it.dddddddddddd." Mesoraco finished with three hits. "Little League, rec ball, whatever it is. This is definitely the hottest Ive ever been," Mesoraco said. Todd Frazier added an RBI double and Ryan Ludwick a run-scoring single off Villanueva in the fifth inning. Villanueva wasnt much better than his previous start at St. Louis. He gave up a career-high nine runs over three-plus innings in a 10-4 loss to St. Louis. "It might seem like my (pitches) flattened out. I didnt really feel tired, but, you know, obviously the stuff wasnt as crisp," said Villanueva. "I thought I had good stuff, a lot better plan today (than my last start). Just, you know, one pitch away those two innings, you know, two outs you got to be able to (finish)." Cubs reliever Jose Veras served up Bruces leadoff shot in the seventh and Cozarts two-run shot two outs later. The Cubs didnt score until the seventh, getting a pair of RBI singles from Ryan Sweeney and Nate Schierholtz off reliever Manny Parra. Parra was lifted with one out and the bases loaded. Sam LeCure entered and got Welington Castillo to ground into a double play. NOTES: Ludwick was back in the lineup after missing Saturdays game with a bruised left big toe sustained when he fouled a pitch off his foot on Friday. Price said Ludwick was held out because of concerns about his ability to run and cut defensively. ... Reds RHP Mike Leake (2-1, 2.95) is scheduled to face Pirates LHP Francisco Liriano (0-3, 3.96) to open a four-game series in Pittsburgh on Monday at 7:05 p.m. ... The Cubs kick off a four-game home series against Arizona on Monday at 7:05 p.m. with LHP Travis Wood (0-2, 3.00) scheduled to start against RHP Bronson Arroyo (1-1, 9.95). ... Villanueva struck out seven. ' ' '