best-of-three in mens singles at the Grand Slam level are not id

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- David Johnson is a dream for those who play fantasy football -- a big, fast, agile running back and an outstanding receiver who scores a lot of touchdowns.They expect big things from the 24-year-old second-year pro. So do the Arizona Cardinals. And those expectations are enormous.David has all the tools, Cardinals running backs coach Stump Mitchell said, to be -- given longevity -- one of the best backs ever to play that game.No pressure there, right?Yet Johnson embraces that kind of praise.Hearing some of the greats I watched growing up -- you know, Marshall Faulk -- being compared to some of those guys is amazing, Johnson said. But on the other hand it makes me want to live up to those expectations. So Im trying to do as much as I can off the field, on the field, in the weight room, nutrition, training room.Six running backs were drafted in 2015 before the Cardinals selected Johnson out of Northern Iowa in the third round, the 86th player chosen overall. And as anyone who has watched the All or Nothing video series chronicling last season knows, Johnson was not Arizonas first choice as a running back. A scene shows the Cardinals about to select Nebraskas Ameer Abdullah in the second round when Detroit snatched him away one pick ahead of them.That led to the selection of Johnson.You know, God has a way of stepping in, Mitchell said, smiling.The first time the 6-foot-1, 224-pound running back touched the ball in an NFL game, in the opener against New Orleans, Johnson took a short pass and ran away from everyone on a 55-yard touchdown play.The next week against Detroit, he returned the opening kickoff 108 yards -- a franchise record -- for a score. Two touches, two touchdowns.And when Chris Johnson went down with a knee injury, David Johnson was no longer being eased into the game.The role just kept increasing and opportunities just kept coming his way, coach Bruce Arians said. When you make the best of the opportunities, Wally Pipp you know, you forget about the other guy.Johnson wound up leading the team with 13 touchdowns, most by any rookie in the league (eight rushing, four receiving and one by kickoff return).He totaled 1,636 all-purpose yards and became only the fourth player in NFL history to reach 500 yards rushing, 400 yards receiving, 500 yards in kickoff returns and score at least 13 touchdowns.I always had confidence in myself, Johnson said. I just wanted my shot. I just wanted my chance to prove that I was capable of being able to play in this league. Of course, I got down on myself a little bit when I wasnt getting any recognition out of college from some of the scouts and some of the coaches, but I always thought I had the ability to perform with these guys.Chris Johnson is back, helping David. There is no resentment. In Arians offense, both Johnsons know, there are plenty of opportunities.And David is turning heads in camp.Theres two runs that he pulled away from everybody, quarterback Carson Palmer said, and I mean everybody on the field -- and there were starters on the field.The soft-spoken Johnson calls himself a strider. People dont realize how fast he is, he said, until they see a defender trying to catch me.And its a long run from where he began.Johnson is a triplet who grew up in Clinton, Iowa, the fifth of six children to a single mother struggling to make ends meet. He has said his mother was jailed for a time on alcohol-related offenses before she found recovery and developed a strong Christian faith.He often looks back at how far he has come.I reflect on all the sacrifices, Johnson said, everything that I `ve been through growing up, not getting too much recognition coming out of college and all the hardships I had growing up. Every day I think back and thank God for giving me the blessing of doing it.This offseason, he got married. The couple is expecting a child.I couldnt ask for a better life right now, he said.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Adidas Nmd r1 Ireland . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. Adidas Nmd Womens Sale . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. http://www.nmddiscountireland.com/ . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Cheap Nmd Shoes . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. Nmd Sale Ireland . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . NEW YORK -- What if they put tiny cameras on players to get more dramatic TV angles? What if serves that dribbled over the net were fair game? What if servers were on a 20-second clock to start points? And how about scrapping the pre-match warmup so matches actually start on time?These are among the possible tennis tweaks and changes a top U.S. Tennis Association official says are being seriously discussed, in some cases actually being experimented with, as the games leaders brainstorm ways to -- someday -- make play at the highest pro levels faster and more television-friendly.And she says a changing of the guard underway at the top of the mens and womens games makes it a good time to do it.We want to innovate, but we have to do it in such a way that we bring the players along, says Stacey Allaster, the USTAs chief executive of professional tennis, cautioning that any such changes should undergo deliberate incubation at that games lower tiers rather than debuting on the games top level.Thats the idea of experimenting with a 20-second serve clock this year at the U.S. Opens junior and college invitational tournaments. While its not clear yet whether matches have indeed moved along more quickly, it apparently has had an effect: Out of 260 matches so far, 24 serve clock warnings have been issued, and none resulted in a repeat violation that would have resulted in a penalty point.I love it, says Danielle Collins, a two-time NCAA singles champion at Virginia who won the Opens collegiate title Saturday. Because in college tennis people stall really badly. . Its crazy how long people are taking between points.Thats been a point of contention on the pro tours for years because instead of employing a clock, any warnings or penalty points issued over slow play are left entirely to the umpires discretion. That tension was on full view during Fridays mens semifinals, when both Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori were warned about slow play, as was Gael Monfils in his match against Novak Djokovic, responding to the umpire by essentially saying, if you want me to speed up, penalize me.Other ideas that have been discussed, according to Allaster: eliminating the service let, which would allow serves that hit the net and fall in to be playable; tighter policing of player bathroom and injury breaks; and reducing or eliminating the pre-match warmup hit, which can delay the scheduled start of matches. The NCAA implemented that idea in its chaampionships this year.ddddddddddddIf a fan tunes into ESPN for a 4 oclock match and it doesnt start until 4:15, we probably would have lost them because they will start to click and they will click onto another sport, Allaster says. So we have to be quicker in getting to the show.Allaster, who came to the USTA recently after serving as chief executive of the Womens Tennis Association, said technology is another avenue of change. Allaster noted that shot-spotting technology to determine if balls are in or out, which has been a part of the Open since 2006, had the added benefit of helping fans get more engaged.The same could happen, she says, if tiny cameras are put on players bodies or hats. People could see what its like to return one of these big serves.Allaster noted that the Open is open to change, noting it remains the only Grand Slam tournament that decides the final set with a tiebreaker, and that its mixed doubles event now features no-ad scoring, meaning that at 40-40, one more point decides the game rather than one side having to win two in a row.Also, all the other Grand Slam events with the exception of Wimbledon have gone to a best-of-three format for mens doubles instead of best of five.But going to no-ad scoring in more events or to best-of-three in mens singles at the Grand Slam level are not ideas that have gotten much serious discussion, Allaster said, even with the unusual case of the top-seeded Djokovic getting three walkovers or retirements because of injuries to opponents.Could we say it will never happen? I wouldnt say that. Is it on the short-term horizon? I would say that is not something being discussed, Allaster said of the best-of-three idea. But I would say everything needs to be on the table as it relates to the health and well-being of the athletes.Rajeev Ram, who lost in the mixed doubles final with partner CoCo Vandeweghe, questioned the wear and tear that best-of-five sets take on men in singles, and whether such long matches are really what plays best on television.I dont know who has six hours to watch a tennis match, I certainly dont, Ram says. What these guys can do out there is unbelievable. But to watch five sets of some of these guys playing 40-ball rallies, its just hard to think that thats going to be, from the business side of tennis, a good product. ' ' '