INDIANAPOLIS - Jadeveon Clowney wants NFL scouts to rethink their draft strategy. Adidas Superstar Doré . Instead of settling for one of those glitzy, franchise quarterbacks, hes urging teams to build a fast, physical defence that can stop all those high-powered offences, and he has the perfect suggestion about where to start. Himself. "Thats one of my goals here, to go No. 1," this years top-rated defensive end said softly Saturday at the NFLs scouting combine. "I came out of high school as the No. 1 player so I want to come out of here as the No. 1 guy." Nobody doubts the former South Carolina star has the physical tools to go No. 1 in May. He measured in Saturday at 6-foot-5 1/4, 266 pounds, with an 83-inch wingspan and hopes to finish the 40-yard dash in the 4.4s, maybe the low 4.5s if hes a little off. With numbers like that, its no wonder Clowney is projected to go in the top five in May. But going ahead of quarterbacks such as Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater will take a lot more than athleticism. The biggest questions Clowney will answer this week focus on his work ethic and desire, and it sure didnt help when he missed Friday nights first round of team interviews because of travel problems. He said he drove from Columbia, S.C., to Charlotte, N.C., to avoid one two-hour delay only to run into another 2 1/2-hour delay. While coaches and team executives may excuse Clowneys tardy arrival, they still need to find out whether theyll be drafting the guy who delivered that helmet-dislodging, highlight-making hit on Michigans Vincent Smith in the 2013 Outback Bowl or the guy critics believe was more concerned with protecting his draft stock than winning games in 2013. Clowney insisted he was the same guy, though he did admit he would have left school after his sophomore season — if NFL rules would have allowed it. "I believe I did work hard. You pull out any practice tape from last year, youll see that," Clowney said. "Ill tell everybody that. I will always be working hard. No matter where I end up I am going to work hard and give a team everything Ive got." The numbers and words seem to tell a different tale. He finished 2012 with 54 tackles and 13 sacks. And despite the lofty expectations from college football fans after that eye-popping hit, Clowney finished 2013 with 40 tackles and only three sacks. What happened is a matter of perception. Some believe Clowney did not go all-out following a public debate about whether it was even worth it for him to play in 2013. Try telling that to those who had to block Clowney. "I dont think he took a play off," Missouri tackle Justin Britt said. "If he did, I didnt see it." But inside the Gamecocks program, there were signs something was amiss. In October, coach Steve Spurrier expressed frustration that the injured Clowney waited too long to tell coaches he couldnt play. Then, this week, on the eve of the combine, Spurrier told NFL Network that Clowneys work ethic was "OK," rekindling talk about Clowneys desire to excel at football. Not surprisingly, it was still a hot topic when Clowney took the podium at Lucas Oil Stadium with a huge crowd of reporters seeking answers to the same questions as team executives. Clowney started the explanation by saying opponents relied on shorter, quicker passes to slow down South Carolinas pass rush and then defended his effort. "There were a lot of ups and downs, but we won eleven games, were 11-2, won our bowl game, finished No. 4 in the country for the first time in South Carolina history so I was pretty excited about the season," Clowney said. "I wasnt really worried about my stats, I just wanted to win." Instead, Clowney contends the bigger problem was the artificially high level of expectations going into the season. But now Clowney must convince coaches, scouts and team executives the guy they watched in 2012 was the same guy they saw on film in 2013 and will continue to be the same guy they can build a defence around. And to jump back up the draft board into position for the top spot, Clowney understands he has to convince teams he means what he says. "I just want to be the best, one of the greatest of all time," he said. "Coming out of high school, I said I wanted to be one of the best in college and I think I proved that. Going to the NFL, I want to be one of the best in the NFL, go down in history as one of the best, so I have another stepping stone in my way and hopefully I can take care of business and accomplish that in the NFL." Homme/Femme Adidas Superstar Foundation Collegiate Marine/Running Blanche Chaussures .com) - LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and six rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Orlando Magic 103-92 on Saturday night. Adidas Superstar Fleur Lotus . He displayed that dominant form in a solid six-inning performance Wednesday night as Toronto defeated the Houston Astros 7-3 at Rogers Centre. Morrow struck out nine batters as the Blue Jays (5-4) locked up their first series win of the young season and moved over the .The Edmonton Oilers retooled their goaltending on Wednesday, trading Devan Dubnyk to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Matt Hendricks and acquiring goaltender Ben Scrivens from the Los Angeles Kings for a 2014 third-round pick. The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. The Kings acquired Scrivens, along with Matt Frattin and a second-round draft pick, from the Maple Leafs last summer in a trade that saw goaltender Jonathan Bernier sent to Toronto. The Spruce Grove, AB, native - who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer - has seven wins in 19 games this season. With the trade, the Kings called up goaltender Martin Jones from Manchester of the AHL on Wednesday afternoon to be the backup for Jonathan Quick. Dubnyk was once considered the present and future in goal for Edmonton, and he went into the season as the starter. "It hasnt really set in to be honest," Dubnyk said in a teamm statement. Blaze Verte Superstar Supercolor PHARRELL WILLIAMS Adidas Homme/Femme Chaussures. "Its a new opportunity for me and Im really excited to go to Nashville." Struggles early on led to the Oilers signing veteran free agent Ilya Bryzgalov, who was bought out last summer by the Philadelphia Flyers. In 32 games this season, the 27-year-old Dubnyk is 11-17-2 with a 3.36 goals-against average and .894 save percentage. "This organization gave me the best opportunity of a lifetime in the NHL and Im very grateful for that," he added. Dubnyk, set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is the second Oilers goalie traded this year. They sent Jason LaBarbera to the Chicago Blackhawks last month for future considerations. Hendricks, 32, has two goals and two assists in 44 games this season. He signed a $7.4 million, four-year deal with Nashville in the off-season. Dubnyk enters an uncertain situation with the Predators, who are still without injured franchise goaltender Pekka Rinne. Marek Mazanec and Carter Hutton have split time in goal in Rinnes absence. The Predators have not given a time frame on when they expect Rinne, who has a salary-cap hit of $7 million through the 2018-19 season, to return. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
