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METAIRIE, La. -- Help has arrived for the New Orleans Saints 31st-ranked defense.First-round draft pick Sheldon Rankins returned to practice Wednesday and has been designated as the Saints one player to return from injured reserve this season.The rookie defensive tackle was placed on IR in Week 1 after he suffered a broken left fibula during training camp. Wednesday was the first day he was eligible to return under NFL rules. The earliest Rankins can return to a game is Week 9 at the San Francisco 49ers.Rankins said he went through a few individual drills as he slowly increases his workload. And he said he thinks a Week 9 return to game action is realistic.Barring any setbacks, I think were on schedule for that time frame. But Im gonna take it day by day and let God handle the rest, Rankins said.Rankins admitted there would be some rust but said he began running a few weeks ago and that his weight is right where he feels most comfortable at 305 pounds.I think a couple weeks [of practicing before playing] is fine, Rankins said. I think in a sense as a football player, youve been doing it for so long you kind of have some semblance of what youre doing out there. But timing is everything. When Im rushing the passer, when I throw my hands or when I take this step to come inside and different things like that. And conditioning -- being able to run to the ball, play hard, things like that.I think those are the real things these few weeks are gonna allow me to do and be a big help for me.Rankins described the past two weeks as quiet and said it felt great to be around his teammates, cutting up and laughing on the practice field. He said it also felt great to do things like diving into a tackling dummy.Yeah, I definitely was kind of anxious to go through that, Rankins said. Little things like tackling drills and hitting sleds and football movements was fun for me today, just to see how my body would react to it, how my leg would react to it. It was good for me.The Saints (2-3) could use Rankins. The defense ranks 31st in the NFL with 419.4 yards allowed per game. And they have allowed the most points in the league at 33.6 per game.The 6-foot-2, 305-pound Rankins is a disruptive force up the middle who should help both the pass rush and the run defense. Rankins had 14 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss over his final two years at Louisville before New Orleans drafted him with the No. 12 pick.The Saints also are hoping to get No. 1 cornerback Delvin Breaux back soon from his own broken left fibula that he suffered in Week 1. Its not clear yet whether Breaux will resume practicing this week. Fake Pirates Jerseys . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Pirates Jerseys China . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Pittsburgh Pirates Store . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. MILWAUKEE -- Receiver Jordy Nelson is coming back from a knee injury. Running back Eddie Lacy slimmed down. Linebacker Clay Matthews is returning to a more familiar role.As for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, he dropped the cheese from his diet.Its what amounts to offseason drama for the Green Bay Packers, who enter training camp looking to reclaim the NFC North title and win a second Super Bowl with Rodgers under center.The clocks ticking. Rodgers turns 33 in December. Hes in the prime of his career, and hes also thinking about the future.So after undergoing minor surgery following the playoffs to clean up a knee he hurt in high school, Rodgers adjusted his diet, including cutting out dairy. He said in June that he was at his lowest weight since about his second year in the league in 2007.Because it carries over not just in the offseason, but what youre eating the night before the game and what youre eating in the morning and the afternoon, if its a night game, Rodgers said. Just how that it affects your performance.Rodgers last season had his lowest passer rating (92.7) and completion percentage (60.7) since taking over as the starter in 2008. Not having Nelson all season hurt, as did Lacys subpar campaign.Minnesota ended Green Bays four-year reign atop the NFC North. The Packers still finished the regular season 10-6, beat the Redskins in a wild-card game and took Arizona to overtime on the road before losing in the divisional round.The division is better this year, but the Packers remain an NFC favorite, especially with Rodgers orchestrating the offense. Here are some other things to watch in training camp for Green Bay:JUST JORDY: To be safe, the Packers could proceed cautiously in camp with Nelson, who got hurt last August. Coach Mike McCarthy has raved about Nelsons work ethic in rehab, and Nelsons recovery, by all accounts, appears to be on schedule. One of the biggest problems with the offense last season was the lack of a deep threat to replace Nelson. If his return goes according to plan, his presence helps take pressure off Randall Cobb, along with the cavalry of younger, less experienced receivers vying for targets.WORKING OUT: After getting called out by McCarthy following the season for playing at too heavy of a weight, Lacy made a few changes in the offseason.dddddddddddd. He worked out with P90X fitness guru Tony Horton, mixed in basketball and boxing, and altered his diet. Lacy, listed on the roster at 5-foot-11, 234 pounds, looked slimmer during offseason workouts. The second-round draft pick in 2013 is entering the final year of his rookie deal.CLAYS DAY: Matthews played inside linebacker so well last season he made the Pro Bowl at that position for the first time. But thats not his best role, and McCarthy shifted Matthews back outside in the offseason, where he can focus on teeing off on quarterbacks. It is Matthews natural position.Hes going to get back there where he can put more pressure on the quarterback. I think its going to help out the team in a lot of different ways, said Julius Peppers, the Packers other veteran pass-rushing bookend.INSIDE MEN: Matthews move means the Packers will be looking for stability again at inside linebacker. It should be the most closely watched defensive competition of camp. Jake Ryan, a fourth-round pick out of Michigan last year, started late last season. Sam Barrington is coming back from a foot injury that forced him to miss most of 2015. The fiery Barrington helped shore up the run defense when he and Matthews took over inside for the last couple months of the 2014 season. Blake Martinez, a fourth-round rookie out of Stanford, received good reviews during offseason workouts and could also get a look during training camp.SPREADING IT AROUND: While Nelson is back, the Packers will also be looking to replace the targets that went to James Jones. The amicable veteran had rapport with Rodgers, but wasnt re-signed with a slew of younger receivers eager to take on expanded roles. Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis each played well against the Cardinals in the playoffs after Cobb went down with an injury. Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery are also looking to bounce back after dealing with injuries last year.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '