Rookie Joe Webb leads Vikings to shock win over Eagles

(Reuters) - Untried rookie quarterback, and CES Client, Joe Webb led the Minnesota Vikings to a shocking 24-14 upset victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday.

Making his first NFL start in place of the injured Brett Favre, Webb threw for 195 yards without an interception and ran for a touchdown.

Adrian Peterson ran for 118 yards and a score as the Vikings (6-9) snapped the explosive Eagles' three-game winning streak.

"You always have to have composure as a quarterback," Webb told reporters.

"You always have to show (your team mates) that you have confidence no matter the score. My team mates were rallying behind me the whole game and I have to give those guys credit."

Philadelphia (10-5), who clinched the NFC East Division with the New York Giants' loss on Sunday, were coming off a stunning comeback from 21 points down in the final eight minutes to beat the Giants last week.

MVP candidate Michael Vick threw for 263 yards and accounted for two touchdowns against Minnesota but was held in check and sacked six times.

He also threw an interception and spilled two fumbles as he was harassed all game by the visiting defense.

"You have to take the good with the bad," said Vick, who limped most of the night and appeared to suffer a minor injury early.

"I've got to do a better job of protecting the football. The thing to do now is to regroup, look at our mistakes and get better.

The Eagles had a chance to clinch a bye in the first round of the playoffs by winning their final two games of the season and having the Chicago Bears lose their finale, but fell short.

Minnesota defensive back Antoine Winfield forced a fumble from Vick and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Webb added a nine-yard score in the third to give the Vikings a 17-7 lead.

Vick scored on a 10-yard run to pull the Eagles within 17-14 with 10:17 remaining but the Vikings responded with a 60-yard drive that led to Peterson's game-clinching 1-yard TD.

Peterson returned to action after he was sidelined with a thigh injury in last week's loss to the Bears.

Favre suffered a concussion in that game and has said his career would come to a close after the Week 17 season finale whether he played or not.

The game was the first Tuesday contest in the NFL since 1946. It was originally scheduled for Sunday but postponed due to snow blizzards in Philadelphia.

(Editing by John O'Brien)

CES Client, Mike Williams, makes outstanding comeback!

Check out this article about CES Client, Mike Williams. With the help of Chip Smith and trainers at Competitive Edge Sports, Mike was able to enter back into the NFL for the comeback everyone will remember!

READ THE ESPN ARTICLE

Previous broken legs solidified resolve of Miami Dolphins rookie cornerback Nolan Carroll

Only one thought raced through Nolan Carroll's mind: "Not again."

Four years earlier, Carroll's senior season at Clay High School, southwest of Jacksonville in Green Cove Springs, ended in the second game of the season when he broke his right tibia, or shin bone.

Now here he was, a senior cornerback and captain at the University of Maryland, sitting shocked and expressionless on the Byrd Stadium turf last Sept. 12, going through a painful episode of deja vu: Broken right tibia and fibula after being inadvertently leg-whipped by teammate Derek Drummond.

Again, done for the season — in just the second game of the season .

"It was right below the place where I did it in high school," said Carroll, the Dolphins rookie cornerback who had two tackles and defended a pass in Saturday's 10-7 exhibition victory over Tampa Bay. "Both freak accidents."

The first break was painful but routine. The second almost cost him his career.

"It was a pretty graphic compound fracture," said Maryland strength and conditioning coach Dwight Galt, who aided Carroll on the field. "It didn't break through the sock, but the bulge there was pretty gross. Of his 10 teammates, five of them went over there and they said, 'Oh (shoot),' and turned around and walked away because they couldn't take it."

Instead of finishing his senior season and proving to NFL scouts he was worthy of a second-round pick, Carroll was raced to Washington Adventist Hospital for emergency surgery.

"They said I wouldn't be walking without crutches until three months after," Carroll said of doctors. "They were anticipating I'd start running by late April, May."

The Terrapins, 8-5 in 2008, collapsed to 2-10 without their leader.

"It hit everybody hard," said nose tackle Travis Ivey, who is in Dolphins camp as an undrafted free agent. "I kind of snapped, because you know, he was one of our emotional leaders, someone I looked up to."

But Carroll, whose mother was a lieutenant commander in the Navy and his father a senior master sergeant in the Air Force, "never let negative thoughts enter my head," he said.

Instead, Carroll was off crutches after just 1½ months of physical therapy.

He moved to Atlanta in December to rehab and train with Chip Smith, who helped former San Francisco 49ers running back Garrison Hearst return from a similarly gruesome ankle fracture.

"He came in and absolutely attacked workouts — six days a week, religiously," Smith said of Carroll. "It was hard work, he was in pain, but he really wanted it."

Carroll didn't participate in drills at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February but he performed at Maryland's Pro Day on March 11, running the day's fastest 40-yard dash of the day, 4.39 seconds.

Still, many NFL teams were wary of drafting him. The Dolphins brought Carroll to their training facility to check him out.

"We researched the injury, very, very thoroughly," coach Tony Sparano said.

Only after getting to know him personally, Sparano said, were the Dolphins willing to "take a stab" at Carroll in the draft, selecting him in the fifth round (145th overall) with the pick they got from the 49ers in exchange for Ted Ginn Jr.

Sparano said that, "no question," the team believes it got a steal.

"Obviously, you don't know if any of these things can re-occur," Sparano said of the injury. "But from our standpoint, we felt really good when he was there for us in the fifth round."

Although Carroll (5-feet-11, 204 pounds) played just one full season at cornerback at Maryland after switching from receiver, he has worked his way into the top-five rotation at cornerback for the Dolphins and also had a 27-yard kickoff return Saturday night. With Will Allen's recent knee surgery knocking him out for several weeks, Carroll could be the team's nickel corner right away.

Carroll admitted he was "nervous" about getting hit in his first game Saturday, and still has to pinch himself to make sure that he really is in the NFL, and not dreaming.

"It was incredible, man," Carroll said after the game. "Just being here, being a part of an NFL team, it was one of those things that didn't hit me until now."

Whatever happens in his career, Carroll has earned a lot of respect in his locker room.

"Every time I see him in the cold tub," Ivey said, "I say, 'I don't know how you did it, man.' "

CES NFL Combine Coach, Pete Jenkins, works with Rams during pre-season prep

CES Defensive Line Coach, Pete Jenkins, worked with the Rams D-Line during their pre-season training camp. CES is proud to have Coach Jenkins back at our facility for the 2011 NFL Combine Training. During our 2010 Combine Training, Coach Jenkins worked diligently with our clients to improve their skill work and saw great results. He worked with Jeff Owens, D'Anthony Smith and Kade Weston- all players that are looking great this season.

Coach Pete Jenkins, known by many of his players as the Two-Gapper, has over 37 years of coaching experience. He coached in the 2009 Pro Bowl on Defense, and prior to that, he coached the Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Line. He has also led the defenses at multiple Division 1 powerhouse collegiate programs. Coach Jenkins is known for his tough work ethic but also for mentoring his players off of the field. We are very excited to have Coach Jenkins back at our facility for 2011 NFL Combine training.

Marie Spano, leading sports nutritionist, will work with CES for 2011 NFL Combine Training

Check out Marie's website: Click HERE

Marie A. Spano, MS, RD/LD, FISSN, CSCS, CSCD, is one of the country’s leading sports nutritionists. She combines science with practical experience to help Olympic, professional, and recreational athletes implement customized nutritional plans to maximize athletic performance. Also a nutrition communications expert, Spano consults with leading food, beverage, and supplement companies regarding public relations and communications.

Spano enjoys the challenge of communicating scientific information in an approachable, understandable format to a variety of audiences. She has appeared on NBC, ABC, Fox and CBS affiliates on the East Coast, and authored hundreds of magazine articles, trade publication articles, book chapters, e-zines, and marketing materials.

A three-sport collegiate athlete, Spano earned her masters in nutrition from the University of Georgia and her bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG), where she also ran Division I cross-country. Her experiences as a college athlete provides effective perspective to work with athletes of all levels, especially student athletes, by providing a first-hand understanding of how the demands of athletics, psychological aspects of injury, and sleep, recovery, and sound nutrition can impact an athlete’s overall well-being and performance.

Spano is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), and Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN). She currently serves as vice president for the ISSN and is a member of the NSCA’s Nutrition Special Interest Group.

CES Client, Jared Odrick, likely to miss only two games

Previously posted BY DAVID J. NEAL DNEAL@MIAMIHERALD.COM, 9.16.10

A black cast consumed Jared Odrick's lower left leg. Between the cast and crutches, it was hard to believe the Dolphins' first-round pick could miss as few as two games with a fractured fibula.

"Don't let it fool you,'' Odrick said of the cast. "It's there for protection more than anything.''

Odrick saw Dr. Robert Alexander of Charlotte, N.C., who performed running back Ronnie Brown's lisfranc surgery last season. Sources said Alexander told Odrick he probably would miss two games.

This isn't the first time Odrick broke that fibula. As a Penn State sophomore playing Indiana in 2007, he broke it in such a way that doctors had to insert a still-present metal plate in the leg.

Odrick's absences gives Tony McDaniel a bump up to the first team and possibly a long desired doubling of McDaniel's play count. He said he got into just over 20 plays Sunday in Buffalo, N.Y.

"Last game was the most I've ever played,'' McDaniel said. "It seemed like [he played more in 2009] it because when I get out there, I make plays, but I never played more than 20 snaps."

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/16/1827301/sources-odrick-likely-to-miss.html#ixzz106BEZPGZ

Get to know CES Client Alge Crumpler

Previously posted by: Posted by Shalise Manza Young, Globe Staff September 19, 2010 08:00 AM

For all of the changes the Patriots made from last season to this, only one position was rebuilt from scratch: tight end. Veteran Alge Crumpler was the first brick in threconstruction, with the former Pro Bowler signed as a free agent in March; a month later, New England drafted two other players, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, and thus far the rebuild appears to be a success.

In the locker room, Crumpler -- his given first name, Algernon, is from his father's favorite book, "Flowers for Algernon" -- has his stall right between the two rookies, so he can keep an eye on them as much as possible, and they in turn can ask him questions as needed. The 32-year old North Carolina native has been praised by Bill Belichick and his former coach in Tennessee, Jeff Fisher, for his professionalism off the field, and on the field he's a standout run blocker (Fred Taylor calls him "a mauler") but still has the hands that helped him average 51 catches a year from 2003-07 with the Falcons.

First car: It was a Toyota Tercel...that's what my mom gave me. That was all we had left. I don't know what the problem was, but every time I stopped I had to pull the emergency brake and switch back and forth between the gas and clutch so it wouldn't shut off.

Game-day ritual: I don't have one as much anymore, like I did in high school. I just like to get to the stadium early, listen to some music, all kinds.

Favorite meal: North Carolina barbecue, something I'm not going to get anytime soon.

First job: Working at the snack bar at the Boys & Girls Club. But my first real job - I cut grass for way too cheap. They took advantage of a youngster! I made enough to get candy and gas to put in the mower. But it taught me hard work.

Last concert I attended: Alicia Keys and John Legend...that was a while ago, maybe three years ago in Atlanta. That was a good concert. I expected her to just sit there are at the piano, but she brings a lot of energy.

Favorite TV show: Entourage. Nothing else is close. I'm sure that will make [executive producer Mark Wahlberg] happy, as he's a Boston guy.

Place I'd like to visit but haven't yet: I do want to go to Europe. My wife would love to see the old-world cities. I've been to a lot of places - been to Japan, went to the Middle East on a USO tour - and (Europe) is next.

Favorite non-football athlete: (World-record holding sprinter) Usain Bolt. And (Oklahoma City's) Kevin Durant - he's a young up-and-coming star. He's mature beyond his years; he's a good player.

CES Client, Andrew Quarless, Younger Talent for Green Bay Packers

Previously posted By
Greg Blohowia (Contributor) on September 6, 2010, bleacherreport.com

Andrew Quarless: Rookie Tight End who has shown flashes of what to expect is an exciting player who has extreme potential. Having comparisons to Jermichael Finley, Quarless is a bigger receiving TE (6'4" 252) who can provide the Packers with a dual threat in the two tight end sets, not to mention in the red zone. I can see the Packers straying away from veteran Donald Lee in passing downs to create larger mismatches with opposing defenses. Donald Lee is a very solid pass and run blocker however with the emergence of Finley and the number of weapons on the offense it never hurts to add another.

Meet CES Client Ed Wang

Meet Ed Wang, left tackle for the Buffalo Bills and the NFL's first player of full Chinese descent.

Written by Charolette Hsu

The air inside the Buffalo Bills’ autograph tent was hot and sticky, pregnant with the humidity of late July. This was not where rookie left tackle Ed Wang wanted to be. Nevertheless, he hunched his 320-pound frame over a table and went to work, initialing a football, a sports glove, and a few other items.

He gripped a Sharpie in his hand, but his mind was elsewhere. When he lifted his head to survey the remaining fans, he seemed relieved to discover they were waiting for the other linemen attending the pre-season signing session, and not for him.

His handlers, sensing his sour mood, okayed his early departure.

“I had two bad days in a row,” he sighed as he made his way to the locker room. Sweat soaked his hair, which tumbled halfway down his back in tangled, dripping strands. Practice had gone poorly that afternoon. He had struggled, giving up mock sacks.

From there, his luck worsened. The next day, he hurt his thumb. The injury would require surgery. As he readied for the operation, he wondered how long it would take to recover. Two weeks? A month? Training camp had started less than a week before, and he could not afford to sit out. He had already lost valuable practice time in June to a high-ankle sprain. What else could go wrong?

Wang bears a scar on his thumb from the Aug. 2 surgery that has kept him on the sidelines. (photo by Christina Shaw)

Wang, a fifth-round draft pick out of Virginia Tech, is the NFL’s first player of full Chinese descent, though he has nowhere near the star power of Asian sports heroes like Houston Rockets center Yao Ming or Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. The Bills brought Wang on to add depth to their roster, and even if he survives pre-season cuts, he’ll likely see few minutes on the field this year.

But Wang never expected to be famous. He just wants to play.

Friends say Wang is the kind of athlete who, even in college, refused alcohol during the season. At parties, he volunteered as designated driver. His parents, track-and-field professionals who once held spots on China’s national team, started coaching him at age six for a future in the NFL. He grew up on whole milk and steak—fat slabs of beef for dinner three times a week.

His life has been one of expectations, and now he is looking to prove himself one more time. He can’t let the opportunity slip away—not after all he has weathered, after all his parents have given to catalyze his dreams.

Charlotte Hsu is a freelance contributor to Artvoice. A former reporter for the Las Vegas Sun, she now works in the University at Buffalo’s communications office. She writes about Buffalo at cjhsu.wordpress.com.

Read more: http://artvoice.com/issues/v9n34/making_the_cut#ixzz0xjYQ6Tu
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CES Client Ziggy Hood impresses Steelers after his off-season training with Chip Smith and Robby Stewart at CES

Steelers encouraged by Ziggy Hood's improvement

Originally posted by Alan Robinson (AP), August 10, 2010

LATROBE, Pa. — No matter the sport, coaches often say an athlete shows the most improvement at any stage of his career between the first and second seasons.

So far, the Pittsburgh Steelers are seeing exactly that in second-year defensive end Ziggy Hood.

Hood, the Steelers' first-round draft pick in April 2009, didn't play much as a rookie while making the adjustment from a 4-3 defense at Missouri to the Steelers' not-easy-to-learn 3-4 system. Unlike many first-rounders, he wasn't expected to make an immediate impact. And he didn't.

During this Steelers training camp, he is.

"The game's starting to slow down for me," Hood said. "Everything's better. I'm learning more."

The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Hood is still playing behind Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel, but he's showing the physical side the Steelers expected when they drafted him. Coach Mike Tomlin saw that on the first day of camp, when Hood easily pushed aside first-round pick Maurkice Pouncey during a blocking drill.

"He's taken the kind of jump that you'd expect a second-year first rounder to take," Tomlin said. "This guy works extremely hard and you'd be tough to find anybody who spent more time in our building during the offseason than Ziggy Hood. It's paying off for him and he's playing with a great deal of confidence."

Hood, one of the most frequent visitors to the Steelers' weight room, also is 10 pounds heavier, an asset that may allow him to fill in occasionally at nose tackle. The Steelers have rarely had someone who could play all three linemen positions in the 3-4.

Smith, who is 34, and Keisel, who will be 32 next month, welcome that versatility because it might allow them to rest for an occasional series. For now, Hood isn't starting, but he's starting to show exactly why the Steelers drafted him.

"You can see he's already made huge growth — he's going to be somebody special," Smith said. "If you're good enough, you're going to get on the field. If we get a nice rotation going, it would be nice because guys won't have to play a ton of snaps and it will keep you more fresh. And maybe that fourth quarter we won't be so tired to finish."

The Steelers' defense, the NFL's best statistically over the past five seasons, appeared to wear down last season as Smith (shoulder) and safety Troy Polamalu (left knee) missed most of the season. The injuries thinned their depth and often showed up in the fourth quarter, when the Steelers uncharacteristically lost leads five times.

Those late-in-the-game collapses — the worst of which came in an inexplicable 27-24 loss at home to Oakland — ultimately cost the Steelers (9-7) any chance of returning to the playoffs a season after they won the Super Bowl.

Now, Hood appears much better equipped to step in should a starter go down, a concern to the Steelers as their defensive line ages; nose tackle Casey Hampton will be 33 when the season starts. Due to assorted injuries, Smith and Keisel haven't played a full season together since 2006.

"Ziggy's a big, strong guy. He's a different type animal," Hampton said. "He might be the strongest player on the team. Ziggy can pretty much play on the line where he wants to. I've got that old-man strength. He's got that still-in-the-weight room strength."

Hood's lack of experience held him back last season, when the Steelers couldn't afford to give him much on-the-job training.

"He's still a young guy, and he has a ways to go technically on a few things," Tomlin said. "But we like what we see of him. He has great passion and he's displaying that daily."

Meanwhile, the on-field heat index was above 100 as the Steelers practiced Tuesday. Linebacker James Harrison (sore shoulder) sat out for the third day in a row.

CES Athlete Curtis Lofton named one of the 2010 NFL Breakout Players

Originally posted by Curtis Compton, Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Potential 2010 NFL breakout player, Curtis Lofton-- CES Client.

LB, Atlanta Falcons

He rarely came off the field last year as their heir apparent to departed Keith Brooking (CES Client). He's a big part of the unit's talented nucleus, which includes rookie Sean Weatherspoon flanking Lofton.

CES Athlete and Vikings QB, Joe Webb TD run against 49ers

Watch the touchdown run by clicking HERE

Watch Joe jump 7 bags while training at CES

Jacques McClendon goes in fourth round without a Combine Invite

Original posting by Michael David Smith on April 26, 2010 1:23 PM ET

Jacques McClendon was not invited to Indianapolis for the annual scouting combine. But on Saturday he got a much more important invitation to Indianapolis.

The Colts selected McClendon, a guard from Tennessee, in the fourth round of the draft, making him the highest-drafted player who wasn't invited to the combine.

Gil Brandt of NFL.com notes that in addition to McClendon in the fourth round, five players not at the combine were taken in the fifth round, 11 were taken in the sixth round and 22 were taken in the seventh round.

Among the notables to be snubbed for combine invitations but still get drafted were Jonathan Crompton, a Tennessee quarterback taken by the Chargers in the fifth round; Fendi Onobun, a former college basketball player and tight end prospect taken by the Rams in the sixth round; and Tim Toone, a wide receiver from Weber State who became Mr. Irrelevant when the Lions took him with the final pick in the draft.