WANTED & UNWANTED » MATUMBAMAN told me that when looking for n

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Ndamukong Suh went to the front of the line to lead the way. And when it wasnt Suhs turn, he had words of encouragement -- which included a playful jab -- for his fellow defensive linemen. "OK, fat boy!" Suh screamed at Nick Fairley as the beefy tackle picked up and put down tennis balls as he sprinted around the path of a figure eight. "I see you, Zig!" Suh later shouted at rookie Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah. In Suhs first three seasons, the defensive tackle deferred leadership responsibilities to Kyle Vanden Bosch, Corey Williams and Cliff Avril. Those three veterans are gone, leaving Suh with a chance to lead, even if its just his group for now. Defensive end Willie Young has seen Suh take advantage of the opportunity during this weeks minicamp. "Hes definitely stepped it up," Young said Wednesday. "His actions say a lot." Suh shrugged off the changes others are seeing from him this week. "Im just being me," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We had senior leadership with guys who earned their place in the league and I only spoke up when I felt like I needed to. The same thing happened at Nebraska, where it wasnt until my junior or senior years that I got more vocal." Unlike Cornhuskers coach Bo Pelini, who encouraged Suh to be a leader of the team and face of the program, Lions coach Jim Schwartz isnt pushing for Suh to do more than make plays to help Detroit win. Suhs statistics have slipped since his rookie year in 2010, when the No. 2 overall pick had 49 solo tackles, including 10 sacks. He made fewer tackles in each of the next two years with four- and eight-sack seasons. "As a defensive tackle, sometimes you have to create plays for others that dont result in a statistic," Suh said. "Im fine with that as long as the job gets done and we win." In the meantime, Suh has developed a reputation as a dirty player. He was fined $30,000 last season for unnecessary roughness when his cleat collided with Houston quarterback Matt Schaub in the groin area. The league suspended Suh for two games in 2010 for stomping on Green Bays Evan Dietrich-Smith. That Thanksgiving game came during a season in which he roughed up QBs in questionable ways. Hes hoping for a drama-free, successful 2013. "You always want to be recognized for what you do on the field to help your team win," Suh told The AP. "All the other nonsense and noise, to me, its over." Suh doesnt think he should be labeled a dirty player. "Look at my track record," he said. "Habits are things you continuously do." Suh has regularly done unique activities with his free time during offseasons. He appeared on the ABC reality show "Splash" earlier this year and was previously on a reality dating show and in a car race. "I had a great experience and got some friendships out of Splash, and from an athletic standpoint, it was a chance to challenge myself outside of my comfort zone," Suh said. "Being able to adapt to different elements is something I pride myself on." Detroits leadership structure on defence was altered as soon as Vanden Bosch was released in February and when the team didnt re-sign Avril and Williams as free agents. Defensive co-ordinator Gunther Cunningham recalled being told by one of the teams strength coaches that Suh was doing a good job of leading his group. "Hes being a real team guy and hasnt lost his ability," Cunningham said. "So, thats a good thing." Suh said it would be great if his extra efforts lead to him becoming a team captain. "It would be a tremendous honour for my peers to vote for me to lead them," he said. NOTES: RB Reggie Bush said he wasnt concerned about "tweaking" an ankle after catching a short pass and falling during a drill Wednesday. ... The Lions will have a minicamp practice Thursday, then players will have a break before training camp next month. Hydro Flask Beer & Wine 10 oz Wine Tumbler Grafiet . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth 18 oz Wit .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. http://www.hydroflasknederland.com/hydro-flask-standard-mouth-24-oz-olijf.html .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. Hydro Flask Coffee 20 oz Coffee Citroen .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Hydro Flask Coffee 12 oz Coffee Flamingo . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Second place has been a curse for Team Liquid. Other squads might look at the consistent top-four placements that Liquid has achieved as goals to aspire to, but for Liquid its always been disappointing coming in just shy of the top prize.This teams first and most recent major LAN victory in 2016 was at Epicenter this past May. That hard-won 3-2 victory against Newbee is a high point the five members of Liquid would like to achieve again, this time at The International, Dota 2s biggest tournament. How are the players handling this challenge?For now, we are slowly shaping ourselves to the form we were at Epicenter, which was our strongest point, said four-role player Jesse JerAx Vainikka.Back to boot campTeam Liquid isnt a new name in esports, but this fresh-faced lineup is new to the banner. Picked up wholesale by the organization last October, the former 5Jungz squad has been further reinforced by the know-how and tools available to an established brand. This includes knowledgeable support staff and intensive boot camps.JerAx points to coaches William Blitz Lee and Lee Heen Seung Gon, as well as team manager Mohamed Morad, saying the team is lucky to have [them] and that they help by bringing up key points for improvement. That support, according to now-former coach Blitz, has been a catalyst for the teams success.The team has all the skill in the world, Blitz said. Having a good support staff just allows them to fully utilize their potential.Of course, Liquid is no stranger to large tournaments. This lineup has played in almost every major and premier in 2016, and always performed at a high level. The pre-TI boot camp is different, though, and Liquid is going at it with much more determination.Before, [for] previous tournaments, we felt like the boot camps were extremely useful for the team, but lasted only for a week, which we found too short, JerAx said. Before TI, we are going to stay together for a straight month, with some days off here and there.This level of preparation is crucial for The International. Eighteen of the top teams in the world will be competing for a massive prize pool. Money and status ride on the line, and every team will be focusing, preparing for any and all opponents that might stand between them and the cup. Its a lot to manage, but Blitz says the focus is on the team, and not outside factors.At boot camps we work primarily on improving ourselves and less about reading our opponents, Blitz said. Things like working on communication and chemistry are the most important factors to us.Writing a new playbookkThe plays of Team Liquid are fast, coordinated and sometimes appear effortless.dddddddddddd The cohesion of this team is something to behold, and its a factor that has pushed it ahead of many other teams in the pack.If youre looking for a standout player, it might be JerAx. Most well-known for his Earth Spirit play, JerAx was adept at playing the rolling roamer, making aggressive plays in the mid and side lanes, and securing space for his carries.According to JerAx, though, his role has changed a lot since the days of first-pick Earth Spirit.That used to be the old days of Liquid, when we played extremely aggressive, he said. Right now [Kuro KuroKy Salehi Takhasomi] is playing the roamer, and Im sticking to the safelane with [Lasse MATUMBAMAN Urpalainen].That switch-up might seem odd, given JerAxs skill at executing roaming ganks. The four-role player seems used to adapting to new mindsets though, as its something he says hes had to do against discerning opponents. I used to switch things up a lot when I went into new games, when people figured out what Im doing, he said.His lane companion, MATUMBAMAN, also has a wide pool of heroes. In just The Summit 5 alone, the most recent tournament the team attended, Matu played eight different cores across 13 matches. Morphling, Huskar, Drow Ranger, Timbersaw, Storm Spirit and Anti-Mage all comprise a highly varied pool, and it doesnt even include what might be his best-known pick, Lycan.MATUMBAMAN told me that when looking for new picks, he looks to places some might see as odd. Whenever I develop new heroes, its a combination of pub games and other pro game replays I have watched, he said. Obviously I might [mess] up, but thats life.Switching roles, getting new pick ideas from pub matches, and staying in the same house together for an entire month might grate on a lesser teams nerves, but for Team Liquid, the squads bond trumps all of those concerns. These five have been together a long time; theres a level of trust and a shared commitment to the goal that keeps them going.We are definitely friends with each other, JerAx said. And I think it plays a huge part when we stay together for multiple weeks at boot camps and tournaments.Team Liquid has seen the highs and lows. It has put in the prep time. On the precipice of TI6, MATUMBAMAN summed up his goal for Seattle: Leave the venue knowing that I and my team did everything we could to produce the best performance. ' ' '