in after being placed on injured reserve at the end of trai

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Even though Latavius Murray is getting the ball less for the Oakland Raiders, hes doing much more when he has it.With the Raiders finally giving him needed support in the backfield with rookies Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington and fortifying the line with Kelechi Osemele, Murray is off to a fast start this season.Im not in there as much, so it definitely is less taxing on my body. I feel a little fresher, he said. Regardless of when I go in there and how many times I go in there I just have to do what I have to do.While Murray has seen his playing time drop a bit this season, his production has been stellar. He is averaging 5.3 yards per carry with two touchdowns and has gained 86.5 yards from scrimmage per game.That has helped fuel a productive running game with Richard adding a 75-yard touchdown run in the opener and Washington added 46 yards on six carries last week. In all, the Raiders have rushed for 322 yards in two games and are averaging 6.3 yards per carry.I love handing that ball off and all of the sudden you just see them going, quarterback Derek Carr said. I remember, my rookie year for whatever reason, that wasnt the case. Its gotten a little better and then this year its taken off here in the first two games.While Murray had some success last year when he ran for 1,066 yards and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate, he appeared to tire as games and the season went on with Oakland having no capable backup tailbacks.Murray averaged just 2.2 yards per carry in the fourth quarter and his production plummeted after the first half of the season. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry the first eight games, compared to 3.3 the final eight.I told him when we had all of these running backs start to play well in training camp wed sit back there and watch and I said, `Man, thats the best thing that ever happened for you, Carr said. He would just laugh because as a competitor he wants every rep. But I said, `Man, just remember thats the best thing that happened to you. Because every ball he gets hes going to be 100 percent fresh.Murray has broken nine tackles already this season on his 29 offensive touches, according to Sports Info Solutions. That 31 percent broken tackle rate far exceeds his mark a year ago when he did it just 12.7 percent of the time.One of those came in the opener when Murray bulled over New Orleans James Laurinaitis for a touchdown run that prompted Carr to call him Angry Tay. That has been part of a concerted effort Murray has made to be more physical in hopes of turning negative plays into positive gainers.This year Im just making sure I use my size to my advantage, breaking tackles trying to run through guys, he said. When that ball is in my hands, whoever is on the other side of the ball becomes the victim of angry Tay.Game notes CB David Amerson was limited after leaving Sundays game with a concussion but coach Jack Del Rio is hopeful he can play this week. ... T Menelik Watson (groin) returned to practice after missing the previous game.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL NMD R2 Sale Womens . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Adidas Falcon New Zealand . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. http://www.nmdshoesnz.com/ .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team. Adidas Continental 80 NZ . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. Y-3 Shoes NZ . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. PITTSBURGH -- The training wheels are off for Bud Dupree. Finally.The Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker heads into Sundays game against the New York Giants without any limitations, ending a patience-testing stretch in which the 2015 first-round pick missed training camp then underwent sports hernia surgery before beginning the arduous process of getting back into what coach Mike Tomlin calls football shape.The initial step came against Cleveland two weeks ago, when Dupree made it on the field for a single snap. The next came on Thanksgiving in Indianapolis, where Dupree picked up his first two tackles in nearly 11 months in a 28-7 victory. Dupree was in the huddle for 20 plays against the Colts, enough to unleash weeks of pent up adrenaline. And almost enough for Dupree to start lobbying defensive coordinator Keith Butler and outside linebackers coach Joey Porter for more playing time.I will but I try not to because I dont want to get on their nerves, Dupree said with a laugh. Some people do it. Some people dont. I just dont get into it. Im right beside (the coaches). If they put me in, they put me in.And theyre most certainly going to put Dupree in against the surging Giants (8-3), who have only surrendered 13 sacks all season. Pittsburgh needs to make Eli Manning uncomfortable if it wants to end New Yorks six-game winning streak, something the Steelers have struggled to do against good teams this season. Only nine of Pittsburghs 24 sacks have come against teams with winning records.We want to get to the quarterback, Dupree said.Duprees return should help. He finished with four sacks as a rookie last fall, though all of them came over the first half of the season. He trimmed 20 pounds off his 6-foot-4 frame last spring and while he believes the hernia wasnt a result of trying to cut weight, he admits he was diagnosed after working out too much.Whatever the cause, Dupree insists its behind him and in a way, hes relieved. Doctors told him the injury was bound to happen at some point. By taking care of it now, hes optimistic it wont come back to haunt him in the future.dddddddddddd Either way, hes encouraged with the added explosiveness. Hes not the only one.Hes moving good, Butler said. Is he moving faster? How fast you are only matters when youre playing on the field. So how fast does he play? He played at a pretty good pace the other night. So well see if he continues to get better.Tomlin saw enough to lock Dupree into the four-man rotation at outside linebacker alongside seemingly ageless James Harrison, leaving Jarvis Jones, Anthony Chickillo or Arthur Moats as the odd man out.As Bud gets up to speed, somebodys going to win, somebodys going to lose, Tomlin said. I dont care who wins. I think we all win if we play the hot hand and those are our intentions.Its a spot Dupree is thankful to be in after being placed on injured reserve at the end of training camp and enduring a setback early in his rehab that threatened his entire season. It was the first time in his football life hed been forced to sit and watch for an extended period of time. And it wasnt fun.I just tried to stay positive, he said. But was it easy? No, it wasnt.Dupree buried himself in the film room, and Butler believes the mental reps have allowed Dupree to quickly rise back up the depth chart. The goal now is to stay there. The way the Steelers move guys in and out of the lineup, he doesnt need to be ready for 60 snaps. If hes fresh for 40 or so, he thinks that will be enough to make an impact. Hes not as big as he was a year ago. Thats not necessarily a bad thing.Its not about that, Dupree said. Its about being flexible, being bendable, being loose. I just want to go out there and ball.Game notes G David DeCastro (ill), WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) and RB D. Williams (knee) did not practice Wednesday. ... TE Xavier Grimble (quadriceps), S Shamarko Thomas (groin) were full participants.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '