where we are in the constructors championship at this stag

PITTSBURGH -- There are no limitations on James Conner. None.Nine months after being diagnosed with lymphoma, the Pitt running back is cancer-free and atop the depth chart as the Panthers prepare to host Villanova in the 2016 opener on Saturday.I think hes really enjoying the moment, coach Pat Narduzzi said on Monday.And while Narduzzi expects the sight of the 2014 ACC Player of the Years running out of the tunnel onto the Heinz Field turf to provide an emotional pregame high, Narduzzi understands the adrenaline will quickly wear off. Thats when the real work in determining just how far Pitt can go in Narduzzis second season will begin.Though a healthy Conner will play a vital role, so will the development of a wide receiver group tasked with trying fill the void left by Tyler Boyds departure to the NFL. Senior Dontez Ford isnt worried about trying to match Boyds production, mostly because its nearly impossible after Boyd needed just three years to turn the school record book into a dry erase board.I think its important for myself and all of our receivers to step up and produce, Ford said. Were not too concerned with replacing his production. At the same time we need to put out more.Especially if the Panthers want to exploit opposing defenses sure to cram as many men near the line of scrimmage as possible in hopes of stopping a running game that could be the best in the country. Ford gets the strategy. Heck hed do it too if he was facing an offense that features Conner and 2015 ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year Qadree Ollison in the backfield.Teams are obviously going to have to defend against the run, Ford said. We have arguably the best line in the country, a loaded backfield and we have a quarterback able to make those plays. Were going to be able to go out there (and make plays.)For Pitt to take another step forward after Narduzzis promising 8-5 start last fall, Ford and the guys behind him on the depth chart -- including Jester Weah, Tre Tipton and Quadree Henderson -- dont really have a choice. It will be a collective effort. Trying to task one player with replicating Boyds success is unfair. Boyd, after all, had more than twice as many receptions last season (91) than the rest of the receivers on the roster combined. Yes, combined.Ford is the Panthers most experienced returning wideout and he offers one thing that Boyd -- for all his talent -- does not possess: game breaking speed. Ford averaged 19.4 yards per catch in 2015, nearly double Boyds average of 10.2. Part of that is by design -- Boyd would often take shuttle passes that were little more than extended handoffs -- but struggled at times with making the difficult grab, something that never seemed to bother Boyd.Thats not our job to emulate him, Ford said. Were just going to (try to) learn from him. We all have our own style of play, we all do different things.Starting the year with Nate Peterman firmly entrenched at quarterback wont hurt either. That wasnt the case last year as Peterman needed several weeks to finally unseat Chad Voytik. Peterman is clearly in charge now and new offensive Matt Canada wasted little time trying to diversify an offense that was predictable at times last season: either hand it off or throw it to Boyd no matter what. Ford expects Canada to allow Peterman to let loose more often.We have guys who can run, Ford said. Jester has crazy speed and if we can get him out there and get him 1-on-1 matchups, I expect him to make plays vertically.---AP College Football site: www.collegefootball.ap.org Wholesale Custom Mariners Shirts . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Custom Mariners Jersey China . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. Etoo gave Jose Mourinhos team a decisive lead from Oscars back pass in the 34th. http://www.custommarinersjersey.com/ . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. Custom Edgar Martinez Jersey . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Authentic Custom Mariners Jersey .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. Christian Horner says Red Bulls objective after the summer break is to cut the gap to Mercedes, which he says was consistently around three tenths in Germany.Red Bull moved into second position ahead of Ferrari after its double podium at Hockenheim. The result came after Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen demonstrated Red Bull can be a match for Mercedes on race pace by keeping Nico Rosberg comfortably at bay in the final stint.Team boss Horner has turned his attention towards making further in-roads after F1s four-week break.When asked if Germany was proof Red Bull is now clearly second in the pecking order, he replied: There have been ebbs and flows but that is where we are in the constructors championship at this stage in the year. There is still a long way to go, but the objective was to come into the summer break ahead of Ferrari, and now it gives everybody the chance for a well earned rest before the final nine races. There are some races on the calendar that will hopefully be favorable to us.ddddddddddddAnd our objective is to try and close that gap still further to Mercedes ahead. So we were on average within .3 of a second of them [in Germany], and what was really encouraging on that final stint was that Nico was not able to make any inroads into either of our drivers on the soft tyre.Though all the teams are looking ahead to 2017 Horner is convinced Red Bull has enough coming this year to bridge the gap.We still have a few bits that we can tidy up on the car this year that are in the pipeline that have been kicked off some time ago. There is still progress that is going on with the engine, with drivability. And there is some positive things in the pipeline that hopefully can help us try to reduce that gap yet further. ' ' '