eads to more practice, which considering how hard she hits the ball, causes even m

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Highlight videos of offensive linemen are usually anything but knee-slapping sources of entertainment.Unless youre like Wesley Johnson -- and your New York Jets teammates get a hold of one.I wish it didnt exist, said Johnson, shaking his head Friday. I think its like a Ron Swanson deal (from `Parks and Recreation). I just dont like being on video, period.But theres Johnson, back in his college days at Vanderbilt in 2013, delivering a brief but passionate halftime speech , urging his Commodores teammates to step it up while holding a 10-7 lead over UMass. He smacks his helmet against a locker stall, knocking two nameplates off, and tosses his chair while finishing with an emphatic: Lets go!It worked.Final score: Vandy 24, UMass 7.Someone said, `Wesley should say something, and I was like, `Youre right, Im going to say something, Johnson recalled. Sure, it was fiery, but I was mumbling through it. We knew we were going to win, but we were playing bad. Thats what I was mad about.Jets left tackle Ben Ijalana saw a reporters tweet with a link to the video Thursday night and sent it to the rest of the offensive line.Our group chat exploded, guard Dakota Dozier said with a laugh. It was great.Even quarterback Geno Smith came over to compliment Johnson, who was in the middle of an interview.Hey, Smith said, that was a great halftime speech.It certainly has made the rounds -- even if Johnson would prefer it to fade into the nether regions of the internet.It just shows how passionate Wes is, Dozier said. I mean, thats honestly who he is. Hes a passionate man. I can totally get it where hes a little embarrassed, but at the end of the day, it makes you want to play with the guy. Youve got a guy that fired up, it rubs off.Johnson is about to get lots more playing time as he replaces the injured Nick Mangold for the final four games of the season, starting with Sunday at San Francisco.Wes has done a good job, coach Todd Bowles said. Hes getting better every week. The big thing about him is that hes smart and hes a fighter.Mangold was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Thursday with a severe ankle injury. Johnson stepped in for Mangold for four games after the seven-time Pro Bowl selection initially sprained the ankle against Baltimore on Oct. 23. Mangold returned last Monday, but re-injured it against Indianapolis.The 32-year-old Mangold is due nearly $6.075 million in base salary next year and the Jets could save $9.075 million on the salary cap by cutting him. Johnson is scheduled to be a restricted free agent, but could be a younger -- he turns 26 next month -- and cheaper option for New York. So, these last four games could be, in essence, an audition for Johnson.It would be bad to think about that, Johnson said. Its kind of the mental fortitude thing where youve got to focus on the 49ers. If I look past that, Im doing everyone in the locker room a disservice.Johnson has been solid in relief of Mangold this season while continuing to develop as an NFL center.I think that we all have great expectations for Wes and his future, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said recently. I think hes got the chance to be a very good football player before its over with. I mean hes not Nick Mangold, but theres not many of them out there that are.Johnson was a four-year starter at Vanderbilt, where he established himself as a versatile lineman by playing tackle, center and guard. He was voted an offensive co-captain by his teammates his final two seasons, and capped his college career by being drafted by Pittsburgh in the fifth round in 2014.Johnson was waived by the Steelers early during his rookie season after not suiting up for the first five games, and the Jets claimed him two days later. He didnt play in any games for New York that season, but saw action in 10 last year -- including filling in for an injured Mangold for one.He worked all along the line this summer, including at center, proving himself to be a valuable backup.Coming out of college, I had played left tackle the last few years, and the talk was, hey, this guy has played most of the positions, so that could be where he fits in, Johnson said. I was just looking to help out as much as I can and once a spot opened up, see if I can take advantage of that opportunity -- at whatever the spot it is. And, its happened to be at center.Other than that infamous Vandy video, theres not a lot on the internet on the Nashville native, who comes across as low-key and humble. He enjoys military history, the HBO show Game of Thrones and the Song of Ice and Fire novel on which the hit series is based.Im an OK guy, Johnson said, laughing. Theres nothing really weird about me.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLAir Max 97 Schweiz Billig Vapormax Günstig Kaufen . 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. http://www.vapormaxkaufenschweiz.com/ . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. Vapormax Schwarz Sale . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Nike Vapormax Damen Schweiz . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros.After all these years, Serena Williams -- defying the laws of physics that keep the rest of us tethered to this Earth -- is still The One.More than three centuries ago, Sir Isaac Newton identified the concept of gravity: What goes up must come down. Not Serena -- not quite yet.She turns 35 in about a month but still finds herself the WTAs No. 1-ranked player, the oldest ever to occupy the top spot. This, more than 14 years after first ascending to the throne, displacing older sister Venus in 2002.Despite her relatively advanced age, Williams can make some significant history at the incoming, upcoming US Open.Last month, Serena collected her 22nd Grand Slam singles crown at Wimbledon. A title in New York would be No. 23, breaking a tie with the great Steffi Graf, creating a new Open era standard. That would also extend her streak of consecutive weeks at No. 1 to 187 -- breaking Grafs long-standing record by one.Tennis Channel analyst Mary Carillo, just back from a stint in Rio for NBC, sees similarities between Serena and a certain heavily decorated swimmer.I point you to Michael Phelps, Carillo wrote in an email, who like Serena accomplished everything an athlete dreams of leaving behind -- records, gold, best-ever acclaim -- and still was driven to do more. My guess is that Serena never imagined she would still burn to be great at nearly 35 years old, just as Michael never dreamed hed still be wet and wondrous at 31.Both of them, still willing to do the work it takes to be who they are.How has the ageless Serena managed to do this?Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert, who spent 113 weeks at No. 1, answered the eternal riddle with this succinct email: Exceptional power, exceptional athlete, still motivates herself chasing history.Indeed, at an age when most players begin to lose their competitive edge, Serena accelerated through her early 30s.Mary Joe Fernandez, who coached the U.S. Olympic tennis team four years ago in London and again in Rio de Janeiro, traces this unlikely renaissance to a brutal stretch in 2010-11 that forced Williams to miss three consecutive majors. After winning Wimbledon in 2010, Serena suffered a serious cut when she stepped on broken glass in a restaurant. In March 2011, a blood clot in her lungs morphed into a condition that was termed life-threatening.Her health scare gave her an appreciation for what she does and recommitted her to being the very best, Fernandez said earlier this week. The last three, four years shes been playing more, being as fit as possible.Shes been great from the start, and now were seeing her great on a consistent basis.After those three Slams absences, Serena failed to win a title in her next four tries. And then, she won the last two majors of 2012 -- and a total of nine of 17. All after her 30th birthday.For context, consider the next women in line in that Open era category: Martina Navratilova and Margaret Smith Court won three each past 30, while Evert and Billie Jean King scored two. Only four men have won more than one -- Australians Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall, with four each, and Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors with two.In 2005-06, ankle and knee injuries forced her to miss three of six majors and ultimately knocked her out of the top 100, adding another subtle layer to her powers of perseverance.Pam Shriver, a 21-time Grand Slam doubles champion, believes Serenas time away from the game and the addition of coach Patrick Mouratoglou helped extend her career.For the entire body of work, from the time she picked up her first tennis ball to now, she has never over-competed, Shriver said.ddddddddddddSo shes still eager to play late in her career. And then, after only having parents as coaches, Patrick comes in and not only brings technical and tactical expertise, but was an enormous boost to her psyche, which created even more motivation.That was perfect timing for both.Considering her historically high standards, its been a mixed bag for Williams this year. She made the finals of the seasons first two Slams but lost to Angelique Kerber in Melbourne and Garbine Muguruza in Paris.The win at Wimbledon was the high point. In Rio, she lost her third singles match to Elina Svitolina and crashed out in the first with Venus in doubles.An injury to her right (serving) shoulder, according to Fernandez, was the culprit.The first day of practice in Rio, she was hitting easy serves, then tried one a little faster, Fernandez said. She stopped and said, It still hurts. I told her to stop serving, and she didnt hit another one until her first match.Serena accepted a wild card into last weeks Cincinnati tournament, but eventually withdrew. That gives her an extra week to rest the shoulder, but no one -- perhaps even Serena -- knows how ready it will be for seven potential matches in New York.Shriver, who will also be part of ESPNs first-to-last-ball US Open coverage, starting Monday at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN3 (and 1 p.m. on ESPN2) has some insight into sore shoulders. During 19 years, she had two shoulder surgeries -- and nearly a third after a recent mother-son tournament. Shriver attributes Serenas soreness to inconsistent tosses that put more stress on the shoulder. And that leads to more practice, which considering how hard she hits the ball, causes even more wear and tear.I dont pretend to know what the injury is, exactly, Shriver said. But from a distance, I would seem like if it wasnt major an athlete two weeks before a major got a cortisone shots and rested properly, she could be ready to go. I had three, and the results were amazing.The shoulder is a big question mark. If she doesnt have her best serve, she becomes an average player among top-10 players. All the confidence and intimidation that serve -- the best in the history of womens tennis -- brings is in jeopardy. If she doesnt have it, shes not my favorite to win.Serena might need to win the US Open to retain her No. 1 ranking. Kerber could have taken it with a victory in the Cincinnati final but fell to Karolina Pliskova. Heading into New York, Serena leads Kerber by 190 points, 7,050 to 6,860. The winner gets 2,000 points.Serena, who is defending a semifinals appearance (780 points), will have to advance further than Kerber, who is only defending a third-round effort worth 130 points. Williams will have to reach the semifinals and possibly further to keep her No. 1 ranking. If Kerber advances to the quarterfinals, Serena would need to make the finals. If Williams wins the US Open, she will stay on top. If the two meet in the final, the winner emerges No. 1.Technically, two other women, Muguruza and Agnieszka Radwanska, could also move into the No. 1 spot.For Fernandez, its not Serenas long-term presence at the top, but her utter domination of the sport across a dozen years.?Its one thing to have longevity in an athletic career, Fernandez said. But longevity at the top, thats unheard of.The older you get, the more it means because you know the window is closing. ' ' '