ST. LOUIS - Zac Stacy made his mark as a fifth-round pick last year, falling just shy of 1,000 yards. Now, the running back must prove his worth all over again. The St. Louis Rams sent a message in this years draft, taking Heisman Trophy finalist Tre Mason in the third round. And though theyve released Daryl Richardson, undrafted rookie Benny Cunningham was impressive last season and former second-rounder Isaiah Pead remains in the mix. Theres always going to be someone gunning for the job. "Oh absolutely, theres going to be competition," Stacy said. "Theres no doubt about that." Stacy has the advantage heading into training camp because he knows the routine, has a better grasp of the playbook and knows firsthand about the pounding that must be absorbed. "You know what to expect, you know whats going on," Stacy said. "Last year, as rookies we were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Its been great so far." Mason was the SEC offensive player of the year and the first non-quarterback to lead Auburn in total offence since Bo Jackson in 1985, running for 1,816 yards with 23 touchdowns and setting school single-season records for all-purpose yards and rushing TDs. Given Mason shredded Missouri for 304 yards and four TDs in the SEC championship game, he arrived at Rams Park a well-known commodity. He wont be satisfied as a change-of-pace option, coach Jeff Fishers initial assessment. "Not sure how it starts out, and you never know what can happen in the future," Mason said. "Im here to do what they ask of me." Stacys rookie season is a good example. The first four games, he was inactive twice and totalled 4 yards on a single carry. Stacy is Vanderbilts career leading rusher. Mason was a much bigger star in the SEC for Auburns national championship runners-up and deemed a premium pick. "Im happy for Tre or whatnot," Stacy said. "Obviously, with him being one of the top college running backs last year, we know the things he can do, and its all about the adjustment to the playbook." Stacy aims to make everything come naturally on the field, so hes not taking the teams OTA sessions lightly "Very important, very important," Stacy said. "Treating every rep like its a game rep." Richardson was the starter entering training camp last summer, coming off an effective rookie season as the Steven Jacksons understudy, but was dogged by foot injuries. Stacy got the starting job in Week 5 and didnt let go. Hes not wasting time fretting about settling for 973 yards when the 49ers held him to 15 yards on 15 carries in the finale. "My mentality is to go out and be productive," he said. "Being consistent with my play, I think the yards and stats and accolades will come." Stacy is a compact 5-foot-9 and 224 pounds, runs low to the ground, hits the hole quickly and can bounce off tacklers. The Rams rested him most or all of practice weeks, allowing him to recover from the punishment and stay fresh for game days. Mason is an inch shorter and 20 pounds lighter but was extremely durable at Auburn, and big in the big games. He followed up his signature game against Missouri with 195 yards rushing in the national championship game against Florida State. Hes still running behind college teammate and close friend Greg Robinson, the second overall pick of the draft, wholl begin his career at left guard. "Ive got to do it to learn it," Mason said. "Im the type of guy whos hands-on." Cunningham, 5-foot-10 and 217 pounds, was undrafted out of Middle Tennessee. Both he and Stacy had 100-yard games against the Bears in Week 12, and he totalled 261 yards in limited duty with a 5.6-yard average. Pead had 21 yards on seven carries, all in the first two games of the season, plus 11 receptions with a 7.1-yard average. He reportedly was shopped during the draft. ___ Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFLAir Force 1 07 Norge . -- Houstons All-Star tandem of James Harden and Dwight Howard refused to let the Rockets give in to fatigue. Nike Juvenate Norge . Millsap will miss Wednesday nights game against the Chicago Bulls. The Hawks say Millsap also will be held out on Thursday at Boston. http://www.airforce1norge.com/. Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here. Nike Air Force 1 Billig . Mars announced Saturday that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will join him as part of his halftime show. Super Bowl halftime performers often have collaborators. Air Force 1 Herre Norge . Fans can also watch the game on the newly launched TSN GO (currently available to Bell TV and Rogers customers), which gives TSN subscribers the freedom to live stream the networks programming from their smartphones, tablets, and computers at no additional charge – just as they would watch Canadas Sports Leader on TV at home. The following week, MLS ON TSN is at BMO Field in Toronto to deliver live coverage of TFCs home opener vs. D.C. United on Saturday, March 22 at 4:30 p.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon maintains technology and not shorter games is key to attracting young fans to baseball. Maddons comments followed Monday nights 1-0 win over the New York Yankees, a game that lasted 3 hours, 28 minutes -- the longest nine-inning, 1-0 game by time in major league history. "I really think that if all were worried about is length of the game regarding attracting young fans, I think thats probably not the actual specific or most important reason," Maddon said. "Its a media-driven problem, I really believe that. I think to involve youngsters technologically speaking is much more important." Nine-inning games this season are averaging 3:03, according to STATS, up from 2:33 in 1981. "I believe you need to really focus on getting the kids more involved based on what kids are digging these days, and thats technology, their devices," Maddon said.dddddddddddd Maddon thinks Twitter and Skype would be good tools. "I think Skyping and getting kids to connect with players in an organization during the course of a school year primarily could really draw young people to an organization or a bunch of players," Maddon said. "Even one guy per week Skyped a classroom from each team, just think of the impact that would make. I think once a kid has been touched by an athlete, I dont care what sport its in, hes going to become a fan of that player and that team." Maddon thinks discussions on the matter are needed. "Somebody needs to sit down and really come up with an interactive kind of a situation in the ballpark or at home that engages youngsters, thats what Im looking at," he said. "Be more creative. Get us in touch with them, get players touching kids more technologically and youre going to get more fans." ' ' '