BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- On the hottest, most humid day of Chicago Bears training camp, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio wore a sweatshirt.I dont sweat that much, he said. Im not a sweater.In another sense, Fangio did have to sweat through a first year in Chicago with an inconsistent defense that improved, and looks to make greater strides in head coach John Foxs second season because of offseason changes.Before Fangio becomes more convinced of improvement, though, hell need to see the type of impact additions such as linebackers Danny Trevathan, Jerrell Freeman and first-round draft pick Leonard Floyd will have for a defense that rose in rankings last season from 30th to 14th.I think we have a chance to be a better defense than we were last year, but the proof will be in the pudding, Fangio said Thursday at training camp. Practice is the quiz, the games are the final exam.The biggest change came in the front seven, with the addition of 336-pound free agent defensive end Akiem Hicks, backed by free agent inside linebacker acquisitions Freeman and Trevathan.The potential exists to stop the run more effectively than last season, when Chicago ranked 22nd.It could take a while.You know weve got veteran guys, but theyre not veteran in our system yet, Fangio said.Hicks put his talents on display Thursday when he helped the first-team defense make a goal-line stand in scrimmage.For a big guy hes got a lot of energy, Fangio said. Weve just got to get him honed up a little bit better in his techniques.Hicks, whose career started with New Orleans and New England, said he feels comfortable in the Bears defensive scheme. Teammates are noticing.I like to have a big D-lineman in front of me, a hungry guy whos just a mauler, Trevathan said about Hicks. The mans a mountain who is hard to move.Trevathan, who came over from the Super Bowl champion Broncos in free agency, also raved about Fangios defensive system.Hes a mastermind, Trevathan said. He likes to put you in the right situations to make plays.He has some experience with that with other linebackers and other teams. But here hes just doing a good job of feeling his players and knowing what theyre good at and putting you in certain situations to make plays.Despite overall statistical improvement last season, the Bears defense set a franchise record for fewest interceptions (eight) and allowed the second-most touchdown passes (31) in their history.For secondary coverage to improve, Fangio said the pass rush pressure must also increase. Not having outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, who is on the preseason PUP list after knee surgery, is slowing progress.Its a concern for sure, but until I see him out on the field Im really not thinking about it as much, Fangio said.The more pressing concern is getting Floyd, an undersized, speedy pass rush linebacker, to a level where he contributes sacks.On draft day, Floyd drew comparisons to former 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith, who flourished under Fangio as a pass rusher.Hes not like Aldon at all, Fangio said. The only thing that hes similar to Aldon is theyre both tall. Theyre both kind of long.But theyre two different body types. Aldon was 25-30 pounds heavier and Aldon wasnt the athlete that this guy is in open space. Theyre similar in height, but theyre very different in style.The only change Fangio has dealt with in the secondary is Harold Jones-Quartey as a starting safety alongside safety Adrian Amos. Jones-Quartey started three games last season after being claimed off waivers.Cornerback Tracy Porter said more turnovers will come with better pass rush pressure, but also from one simple coverage approach.To just go after the ball when its in the air, he said. Yeah, we want to knock passes down when you can. Ive been told some of the wisest words: You just try to catch every ball. Whether you miss it or you knock it down, its still a PBU (pass breakup).So why not just try to go and catch the ball?Game notes Right guard Kyle Long went through his first full padded practice after suffering a July 28 calf injury. ... Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who left Wednesdays practice, also missed Thursdays practice with what Fox called a slight hamstring injury. ... Offensive lineman Amini Silatolu, who started training camp on the physically unable to perform list, was moved to the active roster and began practicing.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Wholesale Air Max Shoes . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. Cheap Air Max Free Shipping . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. http://www.airmaxcheapwholesale.com/ . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Cheap Nike Air Max Clearance . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Cheap Air Max Shoes Online . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When Ohio State receivers Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall and Braxton Miller departed for the NFL, they took with them 80 percent of the teams passing-game production from last season.Thats a bunch of pressure for the receivers vying for playing time this season. They are loaded with talent and potential, definitely, but have yet to make an impact in Columbus.The two likely starters at wide receiver, Noah Brown and Corey Smith, both went down with broken legs last year but are healed and running at full speed. The rest of the crop is raw. The H-backs, Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson, are more experienced, but Samuel may switch back and forth between receiver and tailback.Brown had figured in Ohio States plans at receiver last year before his injury in the preseason. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound New Jersey product played in 13 games as a freshman during the 2014 season but had only one reception.Noah Brown was going to be a starter when he had that tough injury a week before our first game (last year), and hell be a starter this year, coach Urban Meyer said.If the (defender) is on top of Noah, I can just put it anywhere around Noah and hes going to get it, quarterback J.T. Barrett said. I feel like Noahs got my back, when the balls in the air its his. The young guys, they still have to develop that.Smith, a graduate student in his fourth year of eligibility, saw considerable playing time in the 14 championship season and then broke his leg in the fifth game last year. He has 25 catches for 317 yards in the two seasons. Sophomores Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin are pushing Smith, and Johnnie Dixon, quarterback-turned-receiver Torrance Gibson and true freshman Austin Mack also are in the mix.Weve got the potential to probably be the best wide receivers thats ever come through Ohio State, Brown said. We have a lot of speed and a lot of guys who can do different things, but experience is a challenge for us.Junior Marcus Baugh inherits the tight end job after the departure of Nick Vannett.The Buckeyes offensive workhorse may turn out to be Samuel, who is the top returning receiver with 289 yards and two touchdowns in 2015. The versatile junior backed up Ezekiel Elliott at running back in 2014 and was moved to H-back -- a hybrid running back/receiver in Meyers system -- last season tto get him on the field more.ddddddddddddHes got 33 catches for 384 yards and two touchdowns in his career, to go along with 465 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 75 carries. With the departure of Elliott, hell be asked to augment the running game as well as catch passes.I think hes our No. 1 playmaker on offense right now, Meyer said Monday. I just love his skill set.Without Elliott to carry the offensive load this year, Meyer acknowledged a sense of urgency to improve the passing game, which ranked 100th in the country last year.That was a little bit of a crutch last year, Meyer said. You had the best tailback in the country and when in doubt, hand it to Zeke. We want to be much more balanced.---STARTING LINEUP TAKES SHAPEWith three-quarters of preseason practices done, Meyer said hes starting to name some starters, which involves calling the players parents to let them know. He said defensive end Sam Hubbard has been named a first-time starter, and tailback Mike Weber and linebackers Chris Worley and Dante Booker are close. Worley and Booker will play alongside Raekwon McMillan, the returning starter at middle linebacker.This is that week where we start making those phone calls and (say) `Hey mom and dad, get ready to make some trips because your son is starting at Ohio State, Meyer said.---EASING BOSA INFreshman defensive end Nick Bosa is on Meyers pitch count while recovering from the knee injury suffered in his senior year of high school. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound touted recruit, the younger brother of Buckeyes star defensive end Joey Bosa, should be healthy enough to play when the season starts.Well be very smart with how hard we throw him in the mix, but hell obviously be in that rotation, Meyer said.Bosa will wear the same 97 uniform number as his brother did at Ohio State.Ive definitely had the expectations for a while, having Joey come here and me follow him, and wear the same number with the same name on the back, the younger Bosa said. But Im not really focused on the hype. Im just confident in my abilities. 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