HOUSTON -- Houston Texans coach Bill OBrien was asked about Jadeveon Clowneys play this week, and for the first time in years the coach raved about the top overall pick in the 2014 draft.Hes playing well. He played really well (Sunday), OBrien said. He was one of our best players on our whole team.Clowney has shaken off two years of injuries to become one of Houstons most consistent players this season, and his transition to defensive end has helped the Texans absorb the loss of star J.J. Watt to injury.Clowney had a career-high four tackles for losses on Sunday to give him eight for the season, which ties his career-best and leads the NFL. While hes now listed as a defensive end, the Texans line him up in various spots on the line as well as at linebacker to keep blockers off-balance.Its been a difficult change for Clowney because playing end in a 4-3 scheme in college is vastly different than playing on the line in the NFL in Romeo Crennels 3-4 defense. At South Carolina, the 6-foot-5, 263-pound Clowney was bigger than almost anyone he had to block. But hes a bit undersized to play defensive end in the NFL, and when he lines up at tackle he faces offensive lineman that routinely weigh 60-70 pounds more than he does. This week he could have to block Colts right guard Denzelle Good, who at 355 pounds outweighs him by almost 100 pounds.But OBrien said Clowney makes up for his lack of weight in other ways.You can define size in a lot of different ways. Does he play big? He plays with a lot of explosiveness, OBrien said. Hes a very tough player. He plays with good leverage a lot of the time in certain situations. So look, does he weigh as much as some of the guys that he goes against in there? No. That could be said for a lot of different guys (but) I think hes playing at a high level.He has started every game this season, easily his longest streak in his NFL career. He didnt play more than four consecutive games in his first two seasons.Its a great feeling to be healthy and feeling good, Clowney said. Just getting better and better each week and hope I can sustain it for 16 games and keep going forward and keep getting better.Though hes piling up tackles for losses, sacks have evaded Clowney and he has just two this season. Hes hoping to add to that total this week when he faces an Indianapolis line that has allowed Andrew Luck to be sacked an NFL-high 20 times this season.You want to get in there and make plays on him and get to him, he said. We have to come with a good game plan this week, go out there and rush and try to get to him.Some had wondered if Clowney was ever going to make the kind of impact he did during a three-year career at South Carolina where he had he had 130 tackles, 24 sacks, 47 tackles for losses and 20 quarterback pressures after his first two years in the NFL. So far this season hes proven that hes capable of being a disruptive force when hes healthy, and people around the league are noticing.Hes a different guy, Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. The guy is playing as good as anybody in the league right now up front. Hes playing with a ton of confidence, a ton of physicality. We know the athleticism. We know the God-given dominant traits that he has as a football player, but his motor is running and its running hot. It never stops.Though he didnt like to talk about it, fighting through the injuries and hearing all the negativity weighed on Clowney. He is much happier now. In his first two years he was almost never in the locker room when reporters were present. Now he spends much of each availability sitting at his locker chatting with people and joking with players and reporters.He beamed when told about the compliments his coach gave him this week.Its special, its good, he said. My teammates noticed. He noticed. I just have to keep playing well. They come out and say: `We need you this week every week. I have to keep playing for my teammates and keep trying to make plays for the team.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Air Max 2019 Outlet . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Wholesale Air Max 2019 . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. http://www.airmax2019cheap.com/ . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Cheap Air Max 2019 Wholesale . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Air Max 2019 Cheap Sale . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday.The Ottawa Senators reward for winning their first-round playoff series may be getting star centre Jason Spezza back on the ice. General manager Bryan Murray said Friday that Spezza has made progress in his recovery from back surgery and skated the last two days with the "Black Aces," players called up from AHL Binghamton. Murray hopes his first-line centre will be practising with the NHL team at some point during the Eastern Conference semifinals. But he said its too early to say when he will be ready to play in a game. "Where he is as far as being game-ready, Im not sure," said Murray. "I think over the weekend probably hell continue to work hard and well see. "Id like to see Jason on the ice. Hes a good player. Hes an important player for us. He hasnt played all year though. Its a big step to throw him into a series where everybodys been playing for a long time. I hope to see him at some point in round two. Whether that will happen or not, I dont know." Spezza played only five games this season before he was sidelined with a back injury. He had surgery Feb. 1 on a herniated disc. The six-foot-three Spezza is the most dangerous offensive threat on a team that struggled to score without him during the regular season. He had 34 goals and 84 points in 80 games last season. The Senators got a boost when defencemen Erik Karlsson and Jared Cowan returned from long-term injuries just before the playoffs. Theyll certainly get another when Spezza is ready to play. "Like the other players who were out for a period of time, it takes them getting on the ice with the group, getting involved, working hard," Murray said. "Hopefully hell make himself available at some point for the coaches to decide if its time or not. "I dont pretend to know what that time is." The Senators; players were rewarded with a two-day holiday following their 6-1 victory in Montreal on Thursday night. That win cemented their best-of-seven opening series in five games and moved Ottawa into the second round for the first time since 2007 when it reached the Stanley Cup final. Seeded seventh in the Eastern Conference, Ottawa still doesnt know who its next opponent will be. If Pittsburgh defeats the New York Islanders on Saturday, the Senators will face the top-seeded Penguins. The Senators relied on Craig Andersons stellar goaltending, strong play from their big defence corps and balanced scoring to defeat second-seeded Montreal. It was a big victory on many fronts for Ottawa, where many Canadiens fans remain from before the Senators franchise began play in 1992.dddddddddddd "When you win a series, particularly against Montreal, a traditional top team, a team that in this market still has a big footprint, you feel good about yourself and you should," said Murray. "I think the guys were very proud of being able to step up and beat the No. 2 seed in the East. "We know we have a tough road ahead, but I hope there was a real sense that they did a lot and theyre now confident to step up the next time, whoever we play." The Senators were plagued by injuries this season, but coach Paul MacLean managed to get his club into the playoffs for a second straight season while using several callups from Binghamton. Some turned in key performances, including centre J.G. Pageau, who had three goals in Game 3. MacLean said it helped the new generation bond and earn the trust of the old guard led by a players like captain Daniel Alfredsson and defenceman Chris Phillips. "Since I came here we had the 07 group led by Alfie and the veteran players, and we had the Bingo boys that won the (AHL) championship, and now theyve won something together," said MacLean. "Theyve won a playoff series together. "Theyre actually one group. Theres no separation amongst them." And the teams progress suggests it could contend for years to come. "Down the road, its only going to get better and better for our organization," MacLean said. "You look at Jean-Gabriel Pageau, he was a player that was going to play maybe in and out of the lineup in Binghamton. "With the injuries we had, now suddenly hes playing all the time down there for (coach) Luke Richardson and he learns how to play. Now hes playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs and gets a hat trick. If you would have told us Jan. 19, I would have said, Are you crazy? That aint happening. "Eric Gryba, that aint happening. Hes not ready to play on our team. He needs to spend a whole season and a half more down there. But I think what weve proved is if you have good young players and you provide them with a good opportunity and a stable environment with a leadership group, that they can improve very quickly and they can play in the league." Murray said while some players are nursing bumps and bruises, the Senators look to have escaped the first round with no major injuries. 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