att Shaughnessy and G Jordan Walsh. ... The Saints have waived DT Lawrence Virgil and assigned S Alden Darby and WR Kyle Prater waived-

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas is technically an unproven rookie with hardly a week of training camp under his belt.Could have fooled his teammates, and even coach Sean Payton.You wouldnt know he was a first-year player if you just came to practice, Payton said. You would just think hes one of the receivers out here making a lot of plays.Payton used the word amazing, to describe one play made by his sure-handed, second-round pick. And that was only the first of two one-handed catches, in tight coverage, of long touchdown passes down the left sideline.To make both plays, Thomas had to extend and contort his body to the point of crashing to the turf. Yet he found a way to corral the ball each time, drawing roars of approval from not just spectators, but other players on the field.When Thomas has been able to stay on his feet after a catch, he has demonstrated the ability to pick up considerable yards after the catch, once using a sudden jump-step to avoid a defender before sprinting toward the sideline and turning the corner.He has been encouraging when you see him in traffic. Hes got really good hands away from his body. So, hes not someone that lets the ball get in on his chest, Payton said. That will give him a chance to have a little bit more run-after-the-catch ability.Thomas made yet another tough grab during Wednesdays 11-on-11 drills, when he reached up to snag a slant pass that second-string quarterback Luke McCown zipped between quickly closing defensive backs Keenan Lewis and Jamal Golden.Both defenders met Thomas as the pass arrived, trying to rip the ball away as they made the tackle. They were unable to dislodge the ball from Thomas grip.I love that kid. He has a nose for the football, said McCown, a 13th-year veteran who has lined up with Thomas several times in the first handful of camp practices.Hes got this kind of -- golly -- just this want to get the ball no matter where its at, McCown said.Thats what you want in a receiver -- a guy that just wants the ball to be in his ZIP code, and hes going to find a way to come down with it, whether theres somebody hanging on him or not.The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Thomas was drafted 47th overall. He had solid, but not necessarily extraordinary statistics at Ohio State last season, catching 56 passes for 781 yards and nine touchdowns.But the Saints were less concerned with Thomas stats than his particular skills.At the very least, his height and sure hands made him a good candidate to help fill the void created by the departure of Saints all-time leading receiver Marques Colston, who was released last winter, following his 10th season.Already, Thomas is getting a number of snaps with starting quarterback Drew Brees, who hasnt hesitated to throw the rookies way and has praised how quickly he learns.Thomas also has a former star NFL receiver in the family -- his uncle, Keyshawn Johnson. Thomas is not as flamboyant as his uncle. He is more soft-spoken and emphasizes humility, even as he projects confidence.After a recent practice, Thomas could be seen doing extra sprints; he was punishing himself for a false start in full team drills.That was my idea. I let the team down, I feel like, by moving too early, Thomas said. I can cost the team by doing that, so do something to correct it. Stay humble.Still, Thomas said he and his uncle talk, all the time, and that Johnson has been an important resource, teaching him how to hone his receiving skills and develop into an all-around pro.Thomas eagerness to explore ways to improve led him to strengthen his hands with yoga-type exercises.Brandin Cooks, who was New Orleans leading receiver last season, said he recalled hearing about Thomas affinity for hand yoga in the offseason, but forgot all about that until he saw the first of Thomas spectacular one-handed catches in training camp.Im like, `Maybe theres something to it, Cooks said. He has great hands.Whether Thomas turns out to be as productive as his famous uncle remains to be seen, but his acrobatic catches in camp have heightened expectations.Theyre probably going to expect that from me, so Im probably going to get another opportunity to make that (type of) play, so be ready when it presents itself, Thomas said. Its a momentum game. So if I can start that fire (with a big play), Id like to be that person.Game notesCB Keenan Lewis, who began training camp on the Saints physically-unable-to-perform list, took part in his first practice on Wednesday. ... DT Nick Fairley and S Erik Harris, who both left practice with undisclosed injuries on Saturday, returned on Wednesday. ... Payton said the Saints have signed S Jamal Golden, DE Matt Shaughnessy and G Jordan Walsh. ... The Saints have waived DT Lawrence Virgil and assigned S Alden Darby and WR Kyle Prater waived-injured designations.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFLCheap Air Jordan 3 Uk Sale .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Cheap Air Jordan 3 Websites .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. http://www.cheapairjordan3uk.com/ . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Cheap Air Jordan 3 Wholesale . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Air Jordan 3 Uk .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach.VERNON, B.C. – Scott Steckly finally got back to Victory Lane. The two-time champion of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 broke a 17-race winless drought Saturday night in the A&W Cruisin The Dub 300 at Motoplex Speedway & Event Park. It was his 12th career win and came after back-to-back runner-up finishes in the last two races for the Milverton, Ontario driver. It was also his third win in the last four races at the Vernon half-mile tri-oval. Although he pulled away from runner-up Jason Hathaway to win by a margin of 2.197 seconds, Steckly said the final 100 laps involved plenty of hard charging. "I thought when we got tires with 130 to go that we were just going to ride for a bit, but there was no riding," Steckly said. "Everybody was going just as hard as they could. I passed Jason and started to ride for a bit and then he passed me back. So, it was time to go." Steckly expressed a sense of relief at getting back to Victory Lane for the first time since September of 2011. "We didnt win at all last season and you begin to wonder if youre ever going to win again," he said." To win here at Vernon is great. The fans here are amazing. Were on a roll. We had two second-place finishes the last two races, now a win. We just want to keep the momentum going and go to Saskatoon to win." In a season in which many contenders have faltered, Steckly said its important to not give up. "It just proves to you that youve got to just keep going for wins and trying to win races, because anything can happen," he said. "Youve just got to keep going hard every week and you cant get down. And thats what we did. I think we were 24th in points after two races. Now were fourth or fifth. So, youve just got to keep on going." ;Hathaway, meanwhile, hopes to build momentum from his second-place finish as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series completes its West Coast swing on Wednesday, July 17, with the Velocity Prairie Thunder presented by Bayer CropScience at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.dddddddddddd "We had a good run," Hathaway said of the Vernon event. "We led a bunch of laps. We made good adjustments. There hasnt been a race this year that we havent made good adjustments. We cant wait to get to Saskatoon. Its always a good show and we run well there." Jim White, driving a car out of Stecklys shop, had a career-best third-place finish before a hometown crowd. "This is really important," White said. "These fans have been supporting us for so long. Without the fans, we wouldnt be doing what were doing. The support we get is amazing." Mark Dilley was fourth, while L.P. Dumoulin finished fifth to take over the points lead from D.J. Kennington, who was ninth. Ron Beauchamp Jr. was sixth, followed by Cameron Hayley, Ryley Seibert, Kennington and rookie Alex Guenette. Hayley, a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West regular and native of Canada, was making his NASCAR Canadian Tire Series debut. Pole-winner J.R. Fitzpatrick led the first 39 laps and ran with the leaders early, but ended up finishing 39 laps back in 19th after encountering mechanical trouble. The A&W Cruisin The Dub 300 will air Sunday, July 21 at 1:30pm et/10:30am pt on TSN, and Saturday, Aug. 3 at 7pm et/4pm pt on RDS. Dumoulin leads Kennington by two points in the championship standings – 191 to 189. Hathaway is third at 181, followed by Steckly at 177, Martin Roy at 171, Fitzpatrick at 169, Ryley Seibert at 160, Jason White at 153, Noel Dowler at 152 and Beauchamp at 152. ' ' '