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| − | So last spring, Huff changed the way Penn State's running backs carry the ball, pointing to an study that said ballcarriers who hold the ball vertically fumble less. The transition took time and remains ongoing. But Penn State's backs enter training camp today ready to cleanse the fumbles from their memories.
| + | By Zachary FagensonMIAMI (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Tuesday filed criminal charges against the owner of a defunct Florida anti-aging clinic at the center of a doping scandal involving Major League Baseball players, according to court records.Anthony Bosch, 50, faces one count of conspiracy to distribute testosterone, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.Bosch was among a group of people accused of illegally providing steroids to some of baseball's biggest stars, including New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, who was the National League's most valuable player in 2011 but missed much of the 2013 season due to a suspension for violating baseball's drug policy.Bosch's defunct Biogenesis clinic in Coral Gables also supplied performance-enhancing drugs to high school athletes, judges and coaches, authorities said.Bosch is charged with distributing the drug between October 2008 and December 2012, according to court filings.His former business partner, Carlos Javier Acevedo, was also charged with one count each of distributing testosterone and of distributing a stimulant between December 2009 and June 2013. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for the first charge and 20 years for the latter.Bosch and his three business partners in the anti-aging clinic were sued by Major League Baseball in 2013.He and other members of his supply and distribution network were due in Miami federal court for a first appearance on Tuesday, the Miami Herald reported.Rodriguez, Braun and 11 other players were suspended in August 2013 after being implicated in an investigation into Biogenesis. None of the athletes are accused of a crime, the newspaper said, and the charging documents on Tuesday do not identify them by name.Other prominent players linked to the Biogenesis doping scandal include Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nelson Cruz, Everth Cabrera of the San Diego Padres and Jhonny Peralta of the St. Louis Cardinals. (Reporting by Zachary Fagenson; Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Bill Trott) |
| − | When I came in, I got emails, letters and calls saying, 'These guys can't hold onto the ball?' " Huff said. "I told them, 'I don't know who those guys are.' That's over.
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| − | "Anybody can tell players to hold onto the ball. Heck, all 107,000 people in the stadium do it every Saturday. How you hold onto the ball is the question."
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| − | At Penn State, backs now call the ball, "the program." Huff brought that approach from Western , where he coached last year. Head coach P.J. Fleck wanted his backs to take ball security so seriously that "it kills you to put the program on the ground."
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| − | To prevent that, Huff asked his running backs to carry the football with the tip pointed toward their chins. Huff quoted a recent NFL study of fumbles, which noted that backs who hold the ball vertically fumble less.
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| − | Essentially, Huff said, it's difficult to dislodge a football that's being carried tight and vertically against the body. Former back learned that later in his career, curbing his fumbling tendencies by making the change.
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| − | During spring drills, Huff showed clips of backs who fumbled while not holding the ball vertically. On the field, he shouted "Chin" at them daily as a reminder of where to point the football.
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| − | Zwinak, who's four yards shy of 2,000 for his career, called the transition "weird" initially, since his muscle memory was so trained <a href=http://www.louisvuitton-pascher.com>Louis Vuitton Tivoli</a> to hold the ball a different way. But he felt more confident with the change as spring drills ended.
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| − | "It's hard to break old habits," Zwinak said. "I've done it so many times that you develop a rhythm and a muscle memory with the way you carry the ball. But every time I got the ball, coach Huff is yelling, 'Chin,' so it's starting to become a habit."
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| − | Belton has high expectations for his senior year, saying he wants to be considered among the best backs in the country. To do so, he has worked to run more physically and upgrade his pass-protections skills. Handling the ball, Belton said, was another part of his evolution.
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| − | "There are just some things you can't get around," he said. "It's something we had to deal with, and it was definitely awkward at first, but we got into the groove of things. You just have to allow yourself to keep learning, do <a href=http://www.louisvuitton-pascher.com>Louis Vuitton Totally</a> things to get yourself better and prepare yourself for the next level. That's the point I'm at."
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| − | Huff said he prides himself on teaching football concepts rather than being a football "babysitter" on the field. He acknowledged that learning a method of holding the ball would be difficult. He also called it vital.
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| − | "It's like Rocky II, when Mick tried to teach Rocky how to fight right-handed," Huff said. "But when you do it the right way, you won't put the ball on the ground."
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| − | Five things to watch during Penn State training camp<br><br>1. Offensive line, offensive line, offensive line. At the media days, coach James Franklin said he expects the line to end up being a strength for us. Franklin did not note a timeline, though. Left tackle Donovan Smith will play alongside four new starters, two of them who could be defensive tackles converted to guard. Still, Franklin said the issue revolves more around experience than talent, and offensive coordinator John Donovan is skilled at calling plays that hide your deficiencies. <br><br>2. More running from the QB? Christian Hackenberg won t be running the spread, but Franklin wants him to have a scrambling mindset under duress. The coach also said that Hackenberg, who scored four rushing touchdowns last year, moves better than people think. Maybe <there>will be] a little bit more running than you ve seen in the past, Franklin said, but I don t really see us doing a whole lot of designed runs with him. <br><br>3. Broader role for the tight ends. Franklin likes their talent and playmaking ability but wants them to play a bigger part in the run game. Jesse James, Kyle Carter and Adam Breneman, who combined for 58 receptions last year, all have added size, which Breneman said is vital for blocking in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Franklin called freshman Mike Gesicki, who benched 385 in summer testing, everything you want in a tight end. <br><br>4. Downhill defense. We throw the first punch and keep on punching, defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said. That s provocative talk, but what does it mean? Linebacker Mike Hull called Shoop s defensive style downhill, saying he expects it to produce more splash plays and turnovers. Hull, who will be central to the defense at middle linebacker, said he fits such a style. Ends C.J. Olaniyan, Deion Barnes and (a healthy) Brad Bars should thrive in the defense, as should cornerback Jordan Lucas and safety Adrian Amos.<br><br>5. Youth on parade. Freshmen will populate the two-deep and special teams, with 58 first-year players (including walk-ons) on the roster. Wide receivers <a href=http://www.louisvuitton-pascher.com>Louis Vuitton W</a> could have the biggest impact, notably DeAndre Thompkins, Saeed Blacknall and Chris Godwin.<br><br>Mark Wogenrich<br><br>
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By Zachary FagensonMIAMI (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Tuesday filed criminal charges against the owner of a defunct Florida anti-aging clinic at the center of a doping scandal involving Major League Baseball players, according to court records.Anthony Bosch, 50, faces one count of conspiracy to distribute testosterone, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.Bosch was among a group of people accused of illegally providing steroids to some of baseball's biggest stars, including New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, who was the National League's most valuable player in 2011 but missed much of the 2013 season due to a suspension for violating baseball's drug policy.Bosch's defunct Biogenesis clinic in Coral Gables also supplied performance-enhancing drugs to high school athletes, judges and coaches, authorities said.Bosch is charged with distributing the drug between October 2008 and December 2012, according to court filings.His former business partner, Carlos Javier Acevedo, was also charged with one count each of distributing testosterone and of distributing a stimulant between December 2009 and June 2013. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for the first charge and 20 years for the latter.Bosch and his three business partners in the anti-aging clinic were sued by Major League Baseball in 2013.He and other members of his supply and distribution network were due in Miami federal court for a first appearance on Tuesday, the Miami Herald reported.Rodriguez, Braun and 11 other players were suspended in August 2013 after being implicated in an investigation into Biogenesis. None of the athletes are accused of a crime, the newspaper said, and the charging documents on Tuesday do not identify them by name.Other prominent players linked to the Biogenesis doping scandal include Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nelson Cruz, Everth Cabrera of the San Diego Padres and Jhonny Peralta of the St. Louis Cardinals. (Reporting by Zachary Fagenson; Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Bill Trott)
