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RENTON, Wash. - As?Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls went through eight months of rehab following a season-ending ankle injury, one former teammate he had in his corner was Marshawn Lynch.A lot of encouragement, Rawls said. Hes been having my back for a long time now and just making sure Im in really good spirits.I took a lot from him, just how he approached the game from the mental part and just leading me off the field as far as different things as far as being in the NFL or making business decisions or talking to different people or trying to help me get a regimen of taking care of my body as a rookie.Rawls returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since suffering a broken left ankle and ligament damage in December. He went through warm-ups with his teammates and caught passes from the quarterbacks during the beginning part of practice.As the team split into positional groups, Rawls went to a side field with a trainer. With his helmet off, he got in his running back stance and took off in sprints that ranged from 10 to 40 yards. The session lasted about 15 minutes, and Rawls was an observer for the rest of practice.Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has maintained all along that the team will proceed slowly with Rawls and wont rush him back.Were going to be careful, Carroll said. Theres no need to rush him at all. A very violent football player. He needs time to get ready to play the way he does, so were going to take however long that is. I dont really have a schedule at this point.Carroll added that the team has not made a determination yet on whether Rawls will see any action in the preseason.Overall, though, the team continues to believe Rawls will be ready for Week 1 of the regular season. Hes in position to replace Lynch as the Seahawks primary ball carrier.He was willing to work at it at the levels that we could barely understand, Carroll said. He was so vicious about the workouts. The stuff he was doing to prove to the trainers that he was ready, the hops and the jumps and the bursts and the continued work over a long period of time, it was unreal. I dont think theres anybody in better shape than Thomas. He put himself in great, great conditioning. Itll be hard for us to help him maintain that level. Hes worked so hard.Air Max Black Friday Deals . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Air Max Black Friday Online . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. http://www.blackfridayairmax.com/ . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Air Max Black Friday Online .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Wholesale Air Max Black Friday . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique.OAKLAND, Calif. -- Soon after Derek Carr and Khalil Mack were drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2014, they got together and vowed to change the culture of a franchise that had only known losing for more than a decade.With the franchise quarterback and pass rusher entering their third season as pros, that has been accomplished. Now the Raiders have their sights set on larger goals of getting back to the playoffs for the first time since 2002.I feel like were in the midst of a great turnaround, especially when you think of the leadership, Mack said. Both of us are coming up on our third year, a lot of new faces, a lot of great guys and a lot of guys that want to come in and work hard. Thats what you need.With a core led by perhaps the most talented 25-and-under trio in the league with Carr, Mack and big-play receiver Amari Cooper; key free agent acquisitions Sean Smith and Reggie Nelson in the secondary; Super Bowl champion linebacker Bruce Irvin and imposing offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele; and several other key young contributors, the Raiders have put together a roster with no glaring holes.That has led to heightened expectations for a team that has spent more than a decade at the bottom of the AFC West, with no playoff berths or winning records for 13 straight seasons.Oakland took a big step last year, more than doubling the win total from three to seven. Now the task is to get over that next major hump.Last year when I got here, I really thought it was important to re-establish expectations, high expectations, second-year coach Jack Del Rio said. We didnt back down from that. Were always going to make winning our division the first goal; it has to be.Here are some other things to watch this season from the Raiders:LOOKING FOR LEADERS: With veterans Charles Woodson and Justin Tuck retired, the leadership role has shifted to younger players such as Carr and Mack. The incoming veterans Irvin, Nelson and Smith have also filled that void.We have a really good core of guys that are assuming leadership positions within their respected groups and I feel really good about that, Del Rio said. In fact, I think weve taken a significant step forward overall with leadership abilities.STEPPING UP: Carr took a major step forwarrd in Year 2 as a starter, throwing for 32 TDs and 3,987 yards last season.dddddddddddd But with a second year in coordinator Bill Musgraves system and nearly all of his key skill position players back, Carr expects even better results this season.Its crazy the jump thats its been each year, he said. I say it all the time, but `C-Wood always told me, from Year 1 to Year 2 is the biggest jump, and then when you hit Year 3, youre just playing ball again. You know, it takes time. It really does.RUN SUPPORT: After a dynamic start last season, the Raiders offense slumped in the second half. A big reason was a drop in production from running back Latavius Murray, whose yards per carry fell from 4.8 yards in the first eight games to 3.3 in the final eight. Murray had no help last year as Oakland never found a second back to share the load. The hope this season is rookies DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard can do that to give the Raiders a more balanced offense.Going into the offseason we were hoping we could develop a running back that could be a really good backup for us and it looks like we have a shot at having one of those guys help us, potentially both, Del Rio said.SOLID SECONDARY: Ever since GM Reggie McKenzie took over the team in 2012, cornerback has been a major problem. He brought in a new pair of starters in each of his first three years without ever finding an answer, and 2013 first-round pick DJ Hayden has struggled. Now the Raiders might have found their answer on the outside. David Amerson went from a waiver-wire pickup early last season to an established starter by the end, and the signing of Smith, one of the top available options on the free-agent market this offseason.HOME SWEET HOME: The Raiders once again enter the season with uncertainty about their long-term future. With no plans for a new stadium in Oakland, owner Mark Davis is trying to get a stadium built in Las Vegas for a possible move. The players and coaching staff tuned out the relocation talk last year and are trying to do the same this season.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '