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22	August 2018

at least the end of the season.

Saints left tackle Terron Armstead rattles off travel destinations that 鈥?unfortunately for him 鈥?have nothing to do with the kind of jet-setting leisure a big NFL contract affords.

Rather Youth Robert Golden Jersey , New Orleans' second-highest-paid offensive player has been on a protracted search for answers about how to stay healthy.

"I've done pretty much everything as far as injury prevention. I've been a lot of places, you know, out of the country, spent a lot of time with different doctors, just trying to get over that hump," Armstead said, listing trips to Germany, New York, Minnesota, Texas and Florida, among others. "I've been pretty much everywhere."

During the early days of training camp, Armstead 鈥?one of the players most responsible for protecting quarterback Drew Brees from potentially devastating blind-side hits 鈥?has sounded confident that his journey back to optimum health is nearly complete.

"I was able to start the offseason getting stronger in areas that were injured before," Armstead said, explaining that in the past Authentic Ito Smith Jersey , he wasn't able to train the way he wanted to because previous injuries were still healing. "So being able to start the offseason getting stronger in areas that I haven't been able to, that was the difference."

Armstead has missed 15 regular-season games since the Saints signed him to a five-year extension worth about $65 million in 2016. He sat out six games last season and nine the season before that. And when he has played, he often has fought through pain to do so. Last season, he was bothered by a hip injury after coming back from a shoulder injury.

Earlier in his career, he struggled with knee soreness, which led him to seek out the same type of plasma therapy in Germany sought out by high-profile athletes such as former NBA star Kobe Bryant.

During the first days of training camp, coaches and teammates have commented on Armstead's apparent improvements in strength, form and vigor.

"He's not rehabbing. He was training," coach Sean Payton said. "The guys that have been injured have not been really on the ground. You can be on a treadmill or a bike, but it's different when you're actually on the ground playing. So it's good to have him. He's not only an important player for us, but also an important leader.

"He's always been a really good athlete and he's playing well."

The Saints selected Armstead in the third round of the 2013 draft and elevated him to starter at the end of his rookie season. While Armstead spent his college career largely out of the limelight at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, NFL personnel took notice when he ran 40 yards in 4.71 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. In other words, when healthy, he moves well for someone listed at 6-foot-5 Uchenna Nwosu Jersey , 304 pounds.

Veteran guard Larry Warford, now in his second season in New Orleans, describes Armstead's recent form as "unbelievable."

"Even compared to last year, I think he's vastly improved 鈥?and that's saying a lot because he was damn good last year," Warford said. "I'm excited to see him this season because I think he's going to be a dominant player.

"It's hard to appreciate if you're not an offensive lineman, but just the intent of everything he does is superior. It's top-notch," Warford continued. "There's a lot of natural ability that goes into that as well, but you can see that he's been working. I know he's felt bad about missing (games in past seasons) and so he just got his body right and got healthy."

Armstead's athleticism doesn't merely present challenges for defensive ends trying to pressure Brees. His ability to move fast thwarts linebackers chasing running plays across the field.

Saints second-year linebacker Alex Anzalone said he's seen Armstead do plenty of that in practice.

"For a big guy, he rolls really well," Anzalone said.

Armstead said that earlier in his career, he "never knew why things kept happening" to take him out of action. And while he knows there's no guaranteeing one's health in the NFL, he asserts that his grasp of everything from how muscle groups work together to injury prevention is far superior to what it was a few years ago.

"I mean, it's football," Armstead said. "Things happen for sure Cheap Tre'Quan Smith Jersey , but I'm on top of anything I can do to prevent it and be out there for my team."

Notes: Saints first-round draft choice, defensive end Marcus Davenport, and veteran tight end Ben Watson both missed their fourth straight practices with undisclosed ailments on Saturday. Also not practicing were OL John Fullington, DB JT Gray, TE Micheal Hoomanawanui, DB Kamrin Moore, C Cameron Tom and RB Shane Vereen.

NEW YORK � The Tampa Bay Rays have become one of baseball�s most pleasant surprises since implementing an unusual wrinkle into their starting rotation. But possessing a true old-fashioned ace atop their rotation hasn�t stopped the New York Mets from enduring one of the worst runs in their history.

Two teams heading in unexpectedly different directions will begin a rare three-game series Friday night when the Mets host the Rays at Citi Field.

It will be just the second time the Rays play the Mets at Citi Field since the stadium opened in 2009, though Tampa Bay played three �home games� against the New York Yankees at Citi Field last September after Hurricane Irma hit the gulf coast of Florida.

Right-hander Ryne Stanek (1-2, 1.98 ERA) is scheduled to serve as the �opener� for the Rays against Mets ace Jacob deGrom (5-4, 1.84).

Both teams were off Thursday after completing brief two-game interleague series on Wednesday when the Rays fell to the host Miami Marlins 3-0 and the visiting Mets beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3.

Despite falling to .500 with the loss, the Rays (43-43) received what has become a standard strong pitching effort. Tampa Bay has the lowest ERA in the majors (2.81) since May 19 when it began utilizing an �opener� instead of a traditional starting pitcher in select games.

The Rays have allowed three runs or fewer 25 times in the subsequent 43 games, 23 of which have been started by relief pitchers typically pitching three innings or fewer.

Stanek will make his 10th start, by far the most among openers. He has a 1.42 ERA as a starter and has pitched longer than 1 2/3 innings just once.

Stanek has also contributed as a late-inning reliever in the last six weeks, which means he�ll take the mound Friday fresh off three decidedly different experiences.

After tossing a scoreless inning as a starter against the Houston Astros last Saturday Leighton Vander Esch Cowboys Jersey , Stanek took the loss Monday when he allowed a run without getting an out as the Rays fell to the Marlins 3-2 in the 10th inning before he tossed two hitless innings in Tuesday�s 9-6, 16-inning win.

�Ryne�s thrown the ball so well for us in that opener role,� Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters after the loss Monday. �He�s done some good things in the later innings.�

Nobody in baseball is doing a better job of things during traditional starter�s innings than deGrom, who leads the majors in ERA despite suffering from almost inconceivable bad luck. DeGrom has a 1.42 ERA in his last 13 starts, during which the Mets have gone 3-10 and deGrom is 3-4.

DeGrom�s misery is par for the course for the Mets (34-49), who have gone 7-22 since June 1 and are just 23-48 since an 11-1 start.

�I�m tired of losing to be honest � everybody else in here I�m sure is,� deGrom told reporters Saturday when he took the loss after allowing three runs in six innings as the Mets fell to the Marlins 5-2. �That�s not what we want to do. We came in here to win baseball games and we�re not doing that. We have to find a way to do that.�

With the Mets buried in the postseason race, deGrom has been the subject of trade rumors, though SNY reported Thursday that it appears he will stay with the team through at least the end of the season.

New York, which has a three-headed general manager setup after Sandy Alderson went on an indefinite leave of absence last week in order to battle a recurrence of cancer, is expected to hire a new general manager in the offseason.

Stanek has never faced the Mets. DeGrom didn�t factor into the decision in his only previous career start against the Rays on Aug. 7, 2015, when he gave up two runs in 6 1/3 innings in New York�s 4-3 victory.

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