CITY » honors and rushed for 1,765 yards and a

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh running back James Conner participated without limitations when the Panthers opened practice Monday -- just three months after he was declared cancer-free.Conner took reps with the first-team offense, moving one step closer to the goal he set when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma this past December: playing in the season opener against Villanova on Sept. 3.Waking up was real exciting ... felt like it was game day getting back on the field, Conner said. Great feeling all around.Conner went through 12 rounds of chemotherapy treatment over six months, but he remained an active part of the team -- going through offseason conditioning and even spring practice. But back in the spring, he wore a mask when he did drills and was not able to participate in full-contact activities.During all the treatments, Conner said he never had any doubt he would be back to play football.I hit walls, he said. There were times that I was down, but I never thought once that I was never going to play football again or wouldnt live.On Monday, he looked like the player of old -- bouncing around to music during warm-ups and sharing words of encouragement with his teammates. Not only was this his first full practice since his cancer diagnosis -- it also was his first full practice since he sustained a season-ending knee injury in the 2015 opener.Its great to have James, coach Pat Narduzzi said. I had one of the players say, Coach, dont baby him, hes a man. We know hes a man, but weve still got to be smart. He had a good day. Its great to get him out here. Its real. Hes back 100 percent, and were looking forward to seeing what he can do better.Conner said he still has to work on his conditioning, but he expects to be as good as he was before his season was cut short last year. In his last full season back in 2014, Conner won ACC Player of the Year honors and rushed for 1,765 yards and a school-record 26 touchdowns.Im just working hard every day, Conner said. Theres reason for doubt, for other people to be looking and say, He might not come back the same, but Im just working. Im taking advantage of every day. Custom Grizzlies T-shirts . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. Authentic Custom Grizzlies Jersey . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. http://www.customgrizzliesjersey.com/ .com) - Richie Incognito has reportedly been admitted to a psychiatric care unit in Arizona. Cheap Grizzlies Jerseys . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Custom Grizzlies Jerseys . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Derek Carr hears all the talk of a possible MVP and the praise after a sterling first half to the season.That comes with the territory, especially after winning AFC offensive player of the week and setting the franchise single-game record with 513 yards passing.If Carr had it his way, hed tune it all out.I would rather not hear anything, he said Wednesday. I would rather just go about my business and hang out with my family, to be honest. But, its a part of this business, its a part of this job. Trust me, Im very honored and thankful, dont get me wrong, but at this point in the year, that stuff is cool but its not for me.He better get used to it if he puts together more games like the one he had last week in Tampa Bay when he threw the game-tying TD pass to Mychal Rivera with 1:38 left in regulation and the game-winner in overtime to Seth Roberts.He broke Cotton Davidsons franchise record of 427 yards passing in a game and joined Ben Roethlisberger and Y.A. Tittle as the only players to throw for at least 500 yards and four TDs in a game without an interception.Thats why its crazy to me, he said. I still think of myself as a little kid, just a fan of the game. Its still kind of surreal and I dont think it will be real to me until Im done playing and I can kind of look back. For now, Im not going to look back. I have too much ahead of me. But, someday Ill look back at it and its just one of those things, its like surreal. You cant believe it. Its like a video game. Your names up there but is it really yours? So far, it doesnt mean anything, but Im sure someday it will.The performance against the Bucs was indicative of how Carr has played for much of the first half of the season as he led comeback wins earlier against New Orleans and San Diego.His numbers stack up well against the other top quarterbacks in the league like Matt Ryan and Drew Brees with 2,321 yards passing, 17 TDs and only three interceptions for a rating of 100.9.Hes had glimpses. Hes had little windows of greatness and hes made a lot of plays, Denver pass rusher Von Miller said. All the success that hes having this season is reeally not a surprise to me.dddddddddddd Ive seen it. Ive seen it in him. Ive seen the type of quarterback that he can be.Carr will get one of his toughest tests yet Sunday night when the Super Bowl champion Broncos (6-2) bring their top-notch defense to Oakland to face the Raiders (6-2) in an AFC West showdown.Putting together a top performance against a defense like Denvers is the next step for Carr in his rapid progression from a shaky rookie season in 2014 to where he is now.Carr has four interceptions and six TD passes in four career starts against Denver with the only win coming in a game in which he completed 12 of 29 passes for 135 yards last December.Theyre one of the best defenses in the NFL, let alone this year, but for the last however many years, theyve been one of the best weve ever seen in this league, Carr said. Theyre always a good challenge for us, but were definitely looking forward to it.This marks the second straight season Carr reached the halfway point with stellar numbers. He had a 104.3 rating through eight games last season with 19 touchdown passes, four interceptions and 7.7 yards per attempt. But he took a major step back in the second half when center Rodney Hudson and receiver Amari Cooper were slowed at times by injuries, posting a 79.2 rating in the final eight games.But the Broncos see a much more polished passer in Carrs third season.Anytime you see a guy throwing it as much as theyve thrown it, and yet how well hes protecting the football, and I think hes only been sacked nine times, that tells you about his growth right there, coach Gary Kubiak said. Understanding whats going on and keeping his team in good positions, so very impressed. Obviously, Derek is playing as good as anybody in football right now.Game notes Among the players to miss practice were CB Sean Smith (shoulder) and DT Stacy McGee (ankle). ... DE Mario Edwards Jr. (hip) still has not been activated to practice off IR.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '