Grüße und Vorstellung » took over four games

The first thing Andrew Luck noticed about rookie guard Quenton Nelson was his back.

He calls it the biggest he's ever seen. And he's not the only guy doing double-takes of his new Logan Paulsen Jersey Elite , massive personal protector.

Veteran guard Matt Slauson talks about Nelson's expansive shoulders and enormous chest. Longtime left tackle Anthony Castonzo dubbed Nelson an immovable refrigerator on reporting day.

Regardless of the description, they seem apt for the newest addition to another revamped Indianapolis Colts offensive line.

"At guard, you want one of those people that if he's walking down the street and someone comes and runs at him full speed, that person is going to get knocked out," Castonzo said. "He's got that ability that when people run into him, they move, and he doesn't."

The Colts have spent years searching for someone with Nelson's punch.

Andrew Luck took more than 400 hits from 2012-16, the highest total among quarterbacks in the league, and has been sacked an astounding 156 times in 70 career starts.

All those shots finally caught up with Luck. He missed nine games with assorted injuries in 2015, made 15 starts in 2016 despite playing through shoulder pain and missed all of last season to rehab from surgery for a partially torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

If it wasn't obvious Indy needed to invest in protecting Luck after he signed a $140 million contract extension in 2016, three consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance made the next step clear.

So the Colts went big.

They selected the 6-foot-6, 330-pound Notre Dame linemen No. 6 overall in April's draft 鈥?the first guard selected that high in more than two decades.

He has not disappointed at training camp. Nelson has already shown c he's capable of stoning more experienced defensive linemen, using his flexibility and balance to keep his body in front of pass rushers and flicking away opponents with a quick swipe of his strong hands.

"There's a reason an offensive guard was picked sixth overall Dallas Goedert Color Rush Jersey ," said Jack Mewhort, the Colts' former starter and a second-round pick in 2014. "Obviously, we haven't played the game yet, but from everything I've seen, he's lived up to it so far. He's the man."

The first real test comes Aug. 9 at Seattle. But Colts fans got a glimpse of what to expect when the Colts put on full pads for the first time last weekend.

In Saturday's one-on-one drills, Nelson managed to recover from the initial punch of a 305-pound defensive tackle then stood his ground and drove the defender backward.

General manager Chris Ballard and coach Frank Reich expected nothing less after watching his college tape and hearing him explain his goal would be breaking the will of an opponent.

"He just brings a lot of power, but then you've also got his young, bulldog tenacity that is a lot of fun and fun to watch," said Slauson, now in his 10th NFL season. "I don't have a lot of the athletic tools he has, but I consider myself a big-bodied guy and I like to bring kind of a nastiness myself. What I am going to try and do with him is help him grow in the game as fast as he can."

Nelson and rookie guard Braden Smith, a second-round pick, could change the whole complexion of the franchise.

With Luck signed through 2021 and center Ryan Kelly Cheap Trenton Cannon Jersey , a first-round pick in 2016, coming back from an injury-plagued second season, Nelson and Smith could help the Colts plug what has been a leaky interior line.

"Ryan has been a big help for me," Nelson said. "He's the smartest guy in the room. He knows all of the assignments. He's been a huge help for me on and off the field."

Instead, Nelson lets his play, intensity and size speak for themselves.

"He did approach me in the hallway (Saturday) and I was a little shocked because it was the first day in pads," Reich said, laughing through his answer. "I won't get into the details of what he was saying exactly, but let's just say he was excited to be in pads."

Notes: Tuesday's practice was moved inside because of rain, but Reich said he thought the Colts reacted with energy and emotion. Longtime center Jeff Saturday attended the workout. ... Austin Howard, who should battle for the starting right tackle job, was activated from the nonfootball injury list Tuesday. Reich said Castonzo (hamstring) and starting safety Clayton Geathers (offseason knee surgery) were "real close" to being activated from the physically unable to perform list "very soon." ... Linebacker Anthony Walker is expected to miss several weeks after injuring his groin during Sunday night's practice.

Tiger Woods attracted most of the attention. Jordan Spieth caused the most concern.

Opening day at the Masters had a wide-open feel until Spieth hit his stride. He saved three straight pars with that superb short game. He ran off three straight birdies to take the lead. And then he fired an 8-iron at the pin on the par-3 16th, letting the club twirl through his hands as he walked away Authentic T. J. Oshie Jersey , knowing only that it was another good one. It plopped down 5 feet away.

Spieth took only 10 putts on the back nine. He made five straight birdies, a career best for him in the majors. Even a bogey on the final hole felt like a par the way he navigated out of the trees and limited the damage with a pitch that stopped inches from going in.

That gave him a 6-under 66 and a two-shot lead over Tony Finau and Matt Kuchar.

Woods has some catching up to do. He failed to birdie any of the par 5s. He was under par one only one hole. He hit a 9-iron into Rae’s Creek. And only a pair of birdies over the last five holes enabled him to scratch out a 73 and at least stay in range, seven shots behind.

PRO BASKETBALL

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) – Tyronn Lue returned to work humbled, changed and with a new perspective.

Cleveland’s coach has been rewired by a serious health scare.

Lue was back on the sidelines Thursday night and had his blood pressure tested as the Cavaliers rallied to win in his first game following a medical absence that became necessary after he experienced ”piercing” chest pains during two games this season.

Now that he’s feeling better, Lue even joked about his heart after the Cavs overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun the Washington Wizards 119-115.

”I told the guys after the game, `Good job of bailing me out.’ It was tough,” Lue said. ”First game back and not having a point guard and not knowing what sets to call and what to run because you haven’t worked on it. Our rotations were a little off tonight so, I mean, I was rusty.”

Earlier in the day, Lue, who guided the Cavs to an NBA title in 2016, described his ordeal in some detail for the first time. Lue said he had been bothered by chest pains for more than a year Authentic Avonte Maddox Jersey , but when they worsened during a March 17 game in Chicago, he realized it was time to step away and get help.

PRO HOCKEY

CHICAGO (AP) – The Chicago Blackhawks are not making changes behind the bench after missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Team President John McDonough told reporters Thursday that he plans to bring back both coach Joel Quenneville and general manager Stan Bowman after a dismal season for a team that has won three Stanley Cup championships since 2010 but stumbled to a last-place finish in the Central Division this season.

”I believe in continuity, they’ve had an incredible body of success,” McDonough told reporters. ”We’re not tethered to the past. This has been a very disappointing year and our expectations are incredibly high. We’re not going to deviate from those expectations. But I believe both Stan and Joel are the guys that are going to bring this back.”

Chicago had reached the playoffs every year since Quenneville took over four games into the 2008-09 season, winning it all in 2010, 2013 and 2015. But the Blackhawks lost in the first round each of the past two years and this year was a nightmare.

BASEBALL

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) – Tim Tebow sure knows how to make an entrance.

Playing his first game in Double-A ball, Tebow hit a three-run homer on the first pitch he saw. The New York Mets minor leaguer connected on a frigid night at home for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in the Eastern League, facing Portland.

Last April, Tebow homered in his first at-bat with the Class A Columbia Fireflies of the South Atlantic League.

This time, the former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback sent a liner far over the fence down the right-field line as the crowd at NYSEG Stadium stood and cheered the 30-year-old outfielder.

The lefty-swinging Tebow capped a five-run first inning against righty Teddy Stankiewicz, a second-round draft pick by Boston in 2013. The Sea Dogs are a Red Sox affiliate.

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