between the three, only Burnley could be promoted before the fin

METAIRIE, La. -- The mere opportunity to drill a tackling dummy with the full force of his 6-foot-2, 305-pound frame represented an invigorating change of pace for New Orleans Saints first-round draft choice Sheldon Rankins.The defensive tackle hopes hell be menacing offensive linemen in games that count in just a couple more weeks.Rankins practiced on Wednesday for the first time since fracturing his fibula in his left leg during training camp. He emerged from practice eager to talk about how good he felt.I definitely was kind of anxious to go through that, Rankins said. Little things like tackling drills and hitting sleds and football movements was fun for me today, just to see how my body would react to it, how my leg would react to it. It was good.Drafted 12th overall out of Louisville in last springs NFL draft, Rankins was a projected starter. Coaches have raved about not only Rankins ability to stuff the run, but also to make quarterbacks uncomfortable on pass plays by destabilizing the front of the pocket.After getting hurt in August, he started the regular season on injured reserve, but coach Sean Payton said Rankins would be the one player this season that the team is permitted to designate for return in midseason. Under NFL rules for players with such a designation, they may start practicing in Week 7 but may not play until Week 9. This season, that means Rankins will return at the earliest when New Orleans travels to San Francisco on Nov. 6.Barring any setbacks, I think were on schedule for that timeframe, Rankins said.Rankins did not appear limited physically in the portion of practice open to reporters. In one drill, he accelerated to his left while keeping his hips low and then drove his shoulder through a large, soft, wheel-shaped tackling target that coaches were rolling across the field. Rankins leveled the target, crashing down upon it. He then sprang to his feet and trotted back to the players in his position group to prepare for the next drill.Still, Rankins said he sees the logic in NFL rules allowing him to practice a couple weeks before he is eligible to play, figuring hell need a couple weeks to get his timing, technique and conditioning as refined as it should be for live action.Timing is everything, Rankins said. And conditioning -- being able to run to the ball, play hard, things like that. I think those are the real things these few weeks are going to allow me to do and be a big help.New Orleans, which ranked second-to-last in the NFL defensively the past two seasons, made bolstering its defense a priority this offseason, and Rankins was a central piece of that.In his last two seasons at Louisville, Rankins registered 14 sacks and 26 + tackles for losses.He was showing so much potential on the interior rush. We were looking forward to having him, Saints defensive end Cam Jordan said. When you have a rookie who is not trying to find himself, thats something that you automatically find special. He came in being a good push in the interior. ... He could get off blocks, great with his hands, great with his feet. He just knew who he was.But Rankins absence has been one of several to regulars on the Saints defense, which continues to rank 31st, allowing with 419.4 yards allowed per game. New Orleans also is allowing a league-worst 33.6 points per game.Thanks to the elite production of quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints passing game, New Orleans has managed to win two straight after a 0-3 start, but Brees predicted Rankins return would be tremendous for the team.Rankins will not only add depth, obviously, but hes an explosive player, Brees said. We got to see three weeks of him with pads on and he was impressive.Game notesSaints top cornerback Delvin Breaux, who also has a broken fibula and has not played since Week 1, stretched with the team before practice but did not participate in drills. ... Other players missing practice on Tuesday included OT Andrus Peat (hamstring), LB Dannell Ellerbe (quadriceps), CB Sterling Moore (abdomen), DE Paul Kruger (back) and DT Nick Fairley (non-injury related).---AP NFL websites: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFLCheap College Jerseys 2020 . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. College Jerseys Outlet . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. https://www.ncaajerseys2020.com/ . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. NCAA Jerseys 2020 . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference.The race for automatic promotion from the Championship is going down to the wire, with three teams still in the race for two spots.Burnley, Brighton and Middlesbrough are all in contention to win a spot in the Premier League next season but although one point is the difference between the three, only Burnley could be promoted before the final day.Heres the reason why, and the other permutations for the top three... As it stands Team Pl Pts GD Mboro 45 88 32 Burnley 44 87 33 Brighton 44 87 30 Who is playing? Middlesbrough were held to a thrilling 2-2 draw against Birmingham on Friday, with Brighton hosting Derby on Monday afternoon before Burnley entertain QPR on Monday evening. Both games are live on Sky Sports.So how can Burnley be promoted before the final day?With Middlesbrough only managing a draw on Friday, Burnley would be promoted if they beat QPR on Monday and Brighton lose or draw. Remaining fixtures