Wall got his 2,000th career assist in the fourth quarter

FLORHAM PARK, N. Sam Shields Rams Jersey .J. -- Geno Smith is unfazed by it all. The presence of Michael Vick doesnt shake his confidence. Neither does his not-so-solid hold on the New York Jets quarterback job. Not even his uncertain status as the future of the franchise. Its all talk, as far as Smith is concerned. More like white noise he can easily tune out. Smith believes in himself. Always has. And now, his teammates are also starting to buy in as well. "Hes taken a quarterback role, hes taken a leadership role and hes always growing," wide receiver Eric Decker said after the Jets first minicamp practice Tuesday. "Hes always maturing, hes always getting better at what he does and hes got a future in the NFL." Smith has transformed from wide-eyed rookie to respected leader in a span of a few months. The second-year quarterback entered minicamp as the starter, ahead of Vick, and Smith intends to keep his spot on the Jets depth chart. "Really, Im a sponge," Smith said. "Im learning as much as I can. Im learning on the fly. Im learning every single day. I just soak it up and continue to work hard." An up-and-down rookie season ended on a positive note for Smith, with three wins in the final four games and the Jets finishing a respectable 8-8. "Really, for me, its just about continuing to stay grounded," he said. "This team has a long way to go and were still working extremely hard to try to reach our ultimate goal." Even as some Jets players have acknowledged being a bit star-struck by Vick, Smith has managed to gain the trust of his teammates -- in the huddle and outside of it. No, there havent been any games. And, no, Smiths body of work doesnt compare to Vicks career. But Smith has taken charge of his situation this off-season, pulling teammates aside on the field to go over plays and studying more film than ever before. When the Jets signed Decker in April, Smith sought out general manager John Idzik to get his new wide receivers phone number so he could welcome him to the team. "I always see myself as a leader and thats in life, in any aspect of my life," Smith said. "Being in this locker room, Ive just continued to be myself and guys gravitate to me because I have just a natural leadership ability, leadership qualities, and thats a part of the reason why Im here in the first place. I just try to continue to push the guys." And make no mistake about it: Smith is pushing himself, too. He knows that last seasons 21 interceptions against 12 touchdowns is no good. He has been working with offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg and quarterbacks coach David Lee to improve on his footwork, and going over the playbook in his mind constantly. He is also noticeably bigger physically, the result of increased work in the weight room. "When it comes to being on the field, I just want perfection," Smith said. "I try and chase perfection. I try and be the best I can be at every single practice, every single rep. I think thats what guys are seeing the most." That includes coach Rex Ryan, who was encouraged by Smiths finish last season and has liked what he has seen from him as he tries to build off that. "He knows this offence forward and backward," Ryan said. "And, I think were going to see some great things from him." The Jets have acknowledged that both Smith and Vick are competing for the starting job, but Smith clearly has an edge going in. That could certainly change, especially if Smith falters and Vick thrives in Mornhinwegs system as he did in Philadelphia. Smith isnt planning on that, of course. He also doesnt believe he needed Vick with New York to push him, calling himself a "self-starter." But having Vick around could play an important role in Smith taking that next step as an NFL quarterback -- and a leader of a franchise. "I think G is a great listener, first and foremost," Vick said. "I think any key to success in this sport at our position, you have to have the ability to listen. "I think Geno wants to learn. He wants to be better." NOTES: RB Chris Johnson, rehabilitating a surgically repaired left knee, participated in individual drills, but will not take part in 11-on-11 team periods during minicamp. The Jets are being cautious with Johnson, who signed with New York in April. ... G Willie Colon, recovering from off-season knee surgery, said hes feeling good and fully intends to be ready for training camp. ... The Jets had six players in for tryouts: Punters Drew Butler and Jacob Schum, kickers Andrew Furney and Carson Wiggs, and offensive linemen Bruce Campbell and Ray Dominguez. Butler is the son of former Bears kicker Kevin Butler and spent two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sam Shields Jersey .com) - The Miami Heat will try to close out the Charlotte Bobcats Monday night in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first round series. Aqib Talib Rams Jersey .com) - The Carolina Hurricanes placed defenseman John-Michael Liles on injured reserve Tuesday. http://www.footballramsshop.us/authentic-ramik-wilson-rams-jersey/ . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN Habs at 7:30pm et/8:30pm at.WASHINGTON -- Tayshaun Prince was having his best scoring game of the season, and the Memphis Grizzlies were cruising in the fourth quarter, when a loose ball somehow ended up in the hands of little-used Washington Wizards rookie Otto Porter. Porter let it fly to beat the shot clock -- and it went in for his first NBA 3-pointer. "My thought was like, Man, if you make that type of shot, then here goes the fourth quarter," Prince said. The Grizzlies led by as many as 19 in the final period, but the Wizards made six 3s over those final 12 minutes. Porter, a career 0-for-10 from long range entering the game, made a second one. The lead was down to two after Bradley Beals 3-pointer with 8.9 seconds remaining, but time ran out not a moment too soon for Memphis, which made its free throws in the closing seconds to preserve a 110-104 win Monday night. "The most important thing," Prince said, "is we stay composed." Prince finished with a season-high 21 points, and Zach Randolph added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who improved to a season-high nine games above .500 and pulled within one game of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Memphis shot 60 per cent after the first quarter and outscored Washington 62-34 in the paint for the game. John Wall scored 23 points, Beal had 21, and Marcin Gortat added 16 for the Wizards, who had a six-game winning streak snapped. Washington had answered a challenge by winning its first three games after losing starting forward Nene to a knee injury, but this time the rotation was also missing forwards Kevin Seraphin (sore right knee) and Martell Webster (sore back). Which is how Porter ended up getting some major playing time, something scarcely seen this season by the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. He had scored only 39 points all season, and he looked as surprised as anyone when his first 3-pointer went swish. "I dont know how that went in," he said. "But I had to get it up there." The Grizzlies appeared in control after a 17-2 run over the final 3 1/2 minutes of the third quarter. Los Angeles Rams Jerseys. Mike Conley (20 points, seven assists) started the spurt with a left-handed driving layup. Both Randolph and Tony Allen converted three-point plays, and Prince hit a 3-point shot as the lead grew to 79-64 entering the fourth. After Porters initial 3-pointer, Nick Calathes made a jumper to push the lead to 19, but the Wizards kept coming. Porters second 3-pointer made the score 102-98 with 1:17 to play. But it wouldnt be enough. "I think thats something we find ourselves doing a lot, getting down and digging in the last five minutes of games, and I feel like we cant do that," said Washingtons Trevor Ariza, who scored 15 points. "We gotta play hard throughout the whole game and compete throughout and not wait for the last five minutes to play." The Grizzlies had 10 players make at least two field goals, while the Wizards relied heavily on their starters. Prince, whose veteran contributions arent always reflected satisfactorily in the "points" column, was more of a scoring threat than usual. "The difference tonight was getting a couple of post-ups early, making a couple of shots in the paint," Prince said. "You notice pretty much since Ive been here, its been jump shot after jump shot, so I had the opportunity today to really get inside." Notes: Wall got his 2,000th career assist in the fourth quarter. ... Memphis F James Johnson sat out with a sprained right ankle and is day to day. ... Washington coach Randy Wittman said he expects Webster back for the Wizards next game Wednesday. Theres no timetable for Seraphin, who missed his fourth straight game. ... The Grizzlies are 16-11 on the road, and this win began a stretch in which 12 of 17 are away. "For some reason, the chemistry is a lot better," Prince said. "Were more concerned with not letting teams get out early on us, which is very surprising because when youre at home you just say, Lets hit em in the nose in the first quarter then we should be in good shape. But were doing it the opposite way." 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