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DAVIE, Fla. -- Isaiah Pead is the Miami Dolphins leading rusher this preseason, and there are other ways to measure his rising stock as he challenges for a roster spot and perhaps even a spot in the running back rotation.Early this year Pead was out of the NFL, living with his mom and distressed by his unfulfilled potential as a former second-round draft pick.There was time when I sat back and said, `Man, what happened? he said Monday. Then you wake up the next day and get to work.Pead considered looking for a regular job or starting a trucking company back home in Columbus, Ohio. Instead he continued to work at football, staying in shape and trying out whenever teams beckoned.He estimates he worked out for eight or 10 teams this past offseason before receiving a contract offer from the Dolphins in March, and he has made plenty of positive plays in the drills, practices and practice games since.It just seems like every time he touches the ball, something good happens for us, coach Adam Gase said.Pead has had a strong training camp at an unsettled position. First-team running back Jay Ajayi is unproven, second-teamer Arian Foster is coming back from Achilles tendon surgery, and neither was impressive in the first two preseason games.By contrast, Pead had a 45-yard run and a 30-yard reception Friday at Dallas. In two games he has 98 yards rushing in 14 carries, a 7.0 average. Ajayi and Foster have combined for 20 yards in 10 carries, a 2.0 average.Pead is trying to help his chances with the Dolphins by playing on four special teams units, something he never did in high school or at the University of Cincinnati.This league is special, Pead said. To be in this league, youve got to be a special person. I always knew I could play in this league. It was just a matter of capitalizing on opportunities. Heres one.Quarterback Ryan Tannehill said Pead is doing his best to take advantage of the chance.I didnt know a whole lot about him, Tannehill said. But he has really impressed me since he has been here with the way he works. Hes constantly out there working.Pead was drafted 50th overall in 2012 by the St. Louis Rams but carried the ball only 19 times for them and missed the 2014 season because of a knee injury.After the Rams released him last September, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers but never saw action.It teaches you the downside of how this league can be, Pead said.Already discouraged by a succession of unsuccessful tryouts last spring, he wasnt optimistic about landing a deal after he worked out for the Dolphins.I dropped a couple of balls, I stumbled a few times, Pead said. I texted my agent, `I think I blew this one.Miami called later that day with a contract offer.We knew his background, Gase said. He did enough in the workout. It wasnt as bad as he was making it out to be. He did well enough for us to say, `Lets give this guy a shot, and he has made the most of it.When Peads career is done, he still plans to start a business with dump trucks or semis, but now hes thinking he might base his company in South Florida.I love it down here, Pead said with a grin, hopeful he has finally found an NFL home.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve-Wine His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/steven-wineHydro Flask Norge . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. Hydro Flask Barn . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. http://www.norgehydroflask.com/ . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. Hydro Flask Billig . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. Hydro Flask Prisjakt . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury.OXNARD, Calif. -- Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence faced his teammates in the spring, apologizing for a violation of the NFL substance-abuse policy that will sideline him for the first four games this season.The next step was addressing the suspension publicly, which the third-year player did on the second day of training camp Sunday with the Cowboys.My disappointment is its on me, Lawrence said. I messed up. I learn from my mistakes and I just have to move on and get everything right.Lawrences ban was one of three in the offseason for the Dallas defense under the substance-abuse policy. Fellow pass rusher Randy Gregory will miss at least four games and faces a longer suspension over another failed drug test. Linebacker Rolando McClain already has a 10-game suspension.The 24-year-old Lawrence is the only one of the three to report for camp.Gregory is in rehab, raising doubts about whether he will play at all a year after sliding to the Cowboys late in the second round of the draft when he failed a marijuana test at the NFL combine. McClain didnt report after staying away from the team most of the offseason.Both are on the reserved-did not report list, subjecting each to $40,000 daily fines and leaving Lawrence to answer for suspensions that snared three starters.I cant speak for nobody else. I just know my situation, said Lawrence, who led the Cowboys with eight sacks last season. I just made a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes. But its what you do from it.Lawrence is also coming off back surgery in the offseason and is unlikely to go full speed in camp with the suspension looming as well. Hes eligible for preseason games, so the coaching and medical staffs will have to decide how far to go to get him ready for Oct. 9 against Cincinnati.You have to get them ready, coach Jason Garrett said. Hes going to get plenty of work.dddddddddddd. I do think we can achieve both things, where he still gets his work and lays a foundation for the season, and you still get the other guys an opportunity.Lawrence missed the first half of his rookie season when he broke his foot early in training camp two years ago. He started to show up late that season, getting one sack in the regular season and another in the playoffs. He started slowly last season before getting seven sacks in the final eight games.Now hell have another slow start because he wont be out there until Week 5.Im going to deal with it by trying to help my young guys and making sure theyre ready, Lawrence said. Im just going to work as hard as I can off the field, you know? Just by doing film studies and giving them little keys or whatever they need. Im here for the team.Garrett said Lawrence delivered that message in the spring.Hes a good person, Garrett said. Hes a good teammate. He works hard. He wants to be the best he can be and he wants his team to be the best it can be. I think hes acted accordingly since then.Game notesQB Tony Romo skipped the second camp workout Sunday in order to be available for the first two padded practices Monday and Tuesday. The routine will be similar to 2014, when he was coming off back surgery and had roughly a day off for every two workouts. ... Garrett said several other veterans will get periodic days off, including Dez Bryant. The 2014 All-Pro receiver is coming off two surgeries after breaking his right foot in the opener last year.---Online:AP NFL websites: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Schuyler Dixon om/AP-NFL---Follow Schuyler Dixon on T