convinced that hes the guy who should start the season u

ASHBURN, Va. -- Sua Cravens figured out a few practices into his NFL career what life in the trenches was like.I was about 217 pounds playing (middle) linebacker with no pads on going against guys like (tackles Ty Nsekhe and Trent Williams), Cravens recalled, and I didnt know Trent was as fast as me so I got thrown out the club about three or four times in the first couple OTA practices before I was like, `OK let me just make a decision and live with it.The second-round pick out of USC who coach Jay Gruden wanted to list as a hybrid on the roster got his crash course and is now delivering hits. Despite being small for the position at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, Cravens is working at linebacker and drawing attention from opponents for his versatility and how his role has rapidly expanded.You can just see the way they are using him, said Packers coach Mike McCarthy, whose team will face Cravens and the Redskins on Sunday night. Hes the pressure player in key moments of the game, so I think it tells you what the defensive staff thinks of him and just the confidence they have in him.Gruden and defensive coordinator Joe Barry want to keep Cravens on the field as much as possible, and the 21-year-old played a season-high 55 percent of snaps last week against Minnesota. The coaching staff is challenging Cravens more and more, and he oozes the confidence to be able to handle the tasks and assignments thrown at him.Cravens knew coaches trusted him when they left him in the game to defend a crucial Vikings drive late in the fourth quarter. He wasnt surprised to be out there, though.I know what kind of player I am, Cravens said. Im all about being humble, but Im not a slouch. If a team wants to try me or a team wants to attack me in those late moments where the coaches do trust me and put me in the game, then so be it.Cravens likely wouldve been an even bigger part of the Redskins improving defense had he not missed two games because of a concussion. Barry conceded that stunted the plans for him, but Cravens said the different blitz packages and formations that were being worked on in Weeks 3 and 4 are now being implemented and will be built on.Sua is a playmaker, and I think if we can be creative with putting him in different positions, whether its standard just linebacker positions or other positions around the formation to be able to make plays, Barry said. Hes getting into a nice flow, a nice rhythm.What makes Cravens valuable is his ability to pick up different positions with ease, something Gruden credits to instincts and football IQ. In a roundabout way, it helped having five different coaches in three seasons in college.It prepared me to play D-end, rush end, outside linebacker, corner, nickel, whatever -- just athlete, Cravens said. Being versatile isnt a bad thing these days.Versatility isnt just about playing multiple positions. Cravens has the speed to play in the secondary, the willingness to engage in physicality to stop the run and go up against offensive linemen and the mindset to rush the passer.All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman is super impressed with how Cravens has adjusted to doing all that in the NFL.He has that instinct in him, Norman said. You sparkplug that, and you see what you see out there. I enjoy playing with him. Hes one of the little dogs we can let off the leash here and there and let him go out there and crash-dummy some people. Its fun to see. Its fun for everybody to see. It gets everybody fired up. It electrifies people.Cravens electrifying personality shows through on the field and even on film. As impressed as McCarthy is in Cravens from video, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is also well aware of him.Hes moving around a lot, Rodgers said. Hes a very good blitzer, hes a good tackler, plays in space well. Hes obviously the kind of guy who might not fit into one specific role for a team, but hes just so talented you have to find a way to get him out there.Game notes WR DeSean Jackson (shoulder) was limited in practice Thursday, but Gruden said he did more than Wednesday, including participating in some team reps. Jackson wouldnt comment on his status for Sunday night. ... Long snapper Nick Sundberg tweaked his back in the weight room and sat out practice. OL Vinston Painter missed practice for personal reasons.---AP Pro Football Writer Howard Fendrich contributed---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Diego Reyes Jersey . 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The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. Javier Hernandez Jersey . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration.FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Its Geno Smiths turn to try to prove he should be the New York Jets quarterback this season. In a move that was expected for several days, Rex Ryan announced Thursday that the second-round draft pick will start over Mark Sanchez in the Jets preseason game against the Giants on Saturday night. "Well see how far we take him into this game this week," Ryan said. "Mark will play also. I think (Smith) has looked good and seems like the ankle is obviously a lot better than it was this past week. "Im excited to see him play." The rookie has worked with the first-team offence all week during practice. Smith, in a tightly contested competition with Sanchez, did not play in the Jets last preseason game last Saturday night against Jacksonville because of a sprained ankle. Most NFL teams normally play their starters into the third quarter of the third preseason game, but the Jets wanted to see how Smiths ankle responded this week before deciding on a starter against the Giants. Because Sanchez played three quarters against the Jaguars, the Jets want a better look at Smith in game action. "We want to see him play," offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. "Hopefully, hell get the chance to turn it loose and let his natural abilities show up, and his natural style. I think, and I almost know, that hes worked so hard that hes there mentally." Smith has played just two quarters in the preseason after getting hurt while rolling out on a play in the third quarter at Detroit nearly two weeks ago. He was cleared for practice early last week, but struggled on the sore ankle -- capped by what Ryan called a "brutal" performance last Wednesday in which Smith was intercepted four times. He bounced back this week with an outstanding week of practice as his ankle also healed. "Im proud of Geno last week pushing through it," Mornhinweg said. "This week, it was still biting him just a little bit, but he was significantly better." Quarterbacks coach David Lee has seen vast improvement in Smiths footwork along with his command in the huddle since training camp began. "His leadership is starting to show," Lee said. "Its hard when a guy doesnt know everything to be a great leader. But once he knows it, we should see more and more leadership from him." Ryan said the team is still not prepared to select a starter for the regular-season opener against Tampa Bay. While Jacksonville and Philadelphia made decisions on their starting quarterbacks earlier this week, Ryan refuses to put a deadline on the Jets selecting one. "We did say all along that it was going to be an equal competition," Ryan said. "And, I think, obviously, the fact that Geno wasnt able to play last week, you never really saw him when there were live buullets, so to speak.dddddddddddd So, it wouldnt be an equal competition had we not played it out this way." Lee added that a strong performance by Smith perhaps still might not be enough for the Jets to select a starter for the season. That means the quarterback competition could potentially go into the final preseason game against Philadelphia next Thursday. "Its been too close to call," Lee said. "I want it clear. I want it cleaner before we make that decision." Lee also acknowledged that he has often gone back and forth on who he thinks the starter should ultimately be. "They come off the field and youre frowning at one and (saying), Atta boy to the other," Lee said. "Im being honest, its kind of been an emotional up-and-down deal: Whos the best one today? Maybe thats our guy. We can do this with him and the other one, we can do this with him. We can do more with this guy in the passing game. "So thats an honest answer." Mornhinweg insisted he hadnt put as much thought into the daily fluctuations of the quarterbacks, preferring to let everything play out. "Mark has had a terrific camp," Mornhinweg said. "Hes had a bunch of ups, and hes had some dips there. Genos had an outstanding camp for a rookie and hes just had a little bit more than a couple of plays in a preseason game. So, well see what happens in this next ballgame. Well see what the outcome is." Ryan also refused to put any parameters on what Smith might need to show against the Giants to be convinced that hes the guy who should start the season under centre. "I think obviously its an evaluation process still that were going through," he said. "I dont want to say, Look, hes got to look like Phil Simms in the Super Bowl." That performance by Simms, of course, was one for the record books when he completed 22 of 25 passes to help the Giants beat the Denver Broncos in 1987. Mornhinweg said the decision will be made when one of the quarterbacks elevates himself above the other, and if that doesnt happen, the team would then go on instincts. "I think I know exactly where Marks at," Mornhinweg said. "Theres no question that I think we can do some very good things with Mark. I dont quite know where Genos at yet, even though we might think we know. But those preseason games are such a good evaluation period for a young man." ---- NOTES: Lee revealed that Sanchez recently had minor surgery to repair an infected toe nail on his right foot. "He doesnt blink, he doesnt tell me, I just happened to hear from somebody else," Lee said. "Hes out there, practices." ... Ryan announced that Vladimir Ducasse will start at LG against the Giants instead of Stephen Peterman, who is getting work at centre to back up Nick Mangold. ' ' '