2012 » ed seven assists. Arron Asham, Brian Boyle, Carl Hag

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- As devastated as Ian Williams felt two years ago when he went undrafted out of Notre Dame, he can now look back on that moment and realize how much the rejection meant to his career. He landed with the San Francisco 49ers, and is the leading candidate to win the starting nose tackle job for the NFC champions as he begins his third NFL season. "It hurt, but looking back at it, it was probably the best situation that could have ever happened," Williams said after a recent practice. "I was a young kid, expecting this, expecting that. It kind of put me back to my place, and coming here and getting back to work really propelled me to where I am now. "I lost sight of the goal that I set. Drastic things usually get you back on track." The expectations for Williams are high heading into the teams exhibition opener Thursday night at home in Candlestick Park against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. San Francisco lost both its starter and backup at the position to free agency this spring, leaving Williams and veteran newcomer lineman Glenn Dorsey to push each other in training camp -- yet Williams has more experience. Dorsey could spend some time at defensive end, too. Williams prepared himself for this opportunity by losing 25 pounds from his previous playing weight during the off-season, bringing him down to 305 and right where he hopes to stay this season. Defensive co-ordinator Vic Fangio has noticed an improvement in Williams agility and quick step off the snap. "I can feel a great difference. We havent been in a game yet, but just being out in practice and working out here just really got me ready and going against our O-line the past two years has really gotten me ready for what I have in front of me," Williams said. "Toward the end of the season it gets cold out here and its hard to sweat and youre still eating two or three times a day, so its hard to lose weight. Then the off-season came and I worked hard, I stayed here." To this day, Fangio cant point to exactly why Williams wasnt drafted. Perhaps his 6-foot-1 height caused NFL teams to shy away. "Every year you see that happen. Why wasnt he drafted at least in the seventh round the year he came out? I dont know," Fangio said. "I dont know if there were some questions about his work habits. Obviously, hes on the short side as most D-linemen go. I dont have a good answer for you there. Trust me, he should have been drafted." Williams, with shoulder-length braids, has played in four games total. That hasnt kept the 49ers from believing he is ready to take on a starting role. And Williams always stayed upbeat as he paid his dues buried on the depth chart and regularly inactive for game days during his first two seasons. "It was vital to where I am right now," he said. "Just coming into a good situation and having a veteran crew around me and guys who really took me under their wing and taught me even though I was coming in to compete at the position, I really came into a great situation." In March, that situation became even better when Williams received a two-year contract extension carrying him through the 2015 season. That vote of confidence meant a lot to Williams, who has seven career tackles as he approaches his 24th birthday later this month. "I really wasnt worried about getting paid for the contact. It just showed me that I had to get back to work and work even harder," he said. "Tasting the Super Bowl and getting that close to a ring, to a victory, that got me hungry. The contract extension got me even hungrier. Im not even worried about all that. Im just trying to come back, compete, work and try to get back to another Super Bowl." Williams keeps in touch with both Isaac Sopoaga, now with the Eagles, and Colts defensive lineman Jean Francois. He tries to learn from Justin Smith and Ray McDonald each day. He also appreciates regular feedback from linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman. "Its really his knack for being able to move. A lot of times people think nose guards are guys that are just big and just hold a point," Willis said. "But hes a guy that if you single him he can beat you 1-on-1. If you double-team he can hold the point. As a middle linebacker, thats what you love to see." Notes: The 49ers signed P Colton Schmidt to a three-year deal and waived WR Charly Martin. ... In Thursdays game, Demarcus Dobbs is slated to start in place of Justin Smith as the All-Pro Smith nurses an injured finger. Fangio also said Craig Dahl, the former Rams S signed to a three-year contract in March to help fill the void of Dashon Goldsons departure, will start at free safety and rookie Eric Reid will enter later.Cheap Air Jordan Free Shipping . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Jordan China . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. https://www.jordanchina.us/ . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Air Jordan Outlet . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Air Jordan Discount . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto.(Sports Network) - A pair of Original Six rivals will battle in the playoffs for the first time in 40 years on Thursday, as the Boston Bruins host the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. You can catch all the action on TSN beginning at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Plus you can chat and get updates from TSNs hockey personalities with TSN.cas Game Night Blog on the TSN GameTracker. Although the Rangers and Bruins have met nine times in the playoffs this is the first encounter since the 1973 quarterfinals, when New York downed Boston in five games. Both clubs enter this series after being pushed to the limit in the opening round. The Rangers beat Washington in seven games, closing out the series with Mondays 5-0 win in D.C., but Bostons Game 7 was much more dramatic. Thanks to a ferocious comeback in the closing minutes on Monday, the fourth-seeded Bruins are still alive in the playoffs. Boston nearly blew a 3-1 series lead to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1, losing Games 5 and 6 before falling behind 4-1 in the third period of the decisive contest in Boston. Boston was down 4-1 after Nazem Kadri tallied 5:29 into the third period, but the Bruins scored three unanswered goals and tied the game on Patrice Bergerons marker with 50.2 seconds left in regulation. Bergeron then netted the game-winner 6:05 into overtime to cap a 5-4 comeback win and move Boston into the Eastern Conference semifinals. Now, the Bs find themselves in the second round for the fourth time in five seasons. The only exception was last spring when Boston lost to Washington in the opening round the year after winning the franchises first Stanley Cup since 1972. While Bergeron came up with two big goals in Game 7, fellow forward David Krejci led the way on offense for Boston in Round 1. Krejci, who led Boston with 23 points on 12 goals and 11 assists during the 2011 title run, paced the Bs with five goals and eight assists against Toronto. With his defensive ability, Bergeron could be Bostons most important player up front. He won the Selke Trophy last year as the NHLs best defensive forward and is one of three finalists for the award this season. Bergeron led all Boston forwards in ice time in the opening round, logging just over 20 minutes a game as he posted three goals and an assist against the Leafs. Krejci, Bergeron and Nathan Horton, who had four goals and three assists in the opening round, combined to score 12 of Bostons 22 goals against Toronto. Milan Lucic also recorded nine points on two goals and seven assists against the Maple Leafs, while Jaromir Jagr failed to score but chipped in with four assists. The 41-year-old Jagr leads all active players with 193 career playoff points (78 goals, 115 assists). Johnny Boychuk added two goals from the back end in Round 1, but Zdeno Chara led all Boston defensemen with eight points on one goal and seven assists. The big Slovakian also led the Bruins with an average of 28 minutes, 54 seconds of ice time per game over the seven contests. With fellow defensemen Andrew Ference, Wade Redden and Dennis Seidenberg all battling injuries, Chara may actually see his playing time increase in the second round. Seidenberg and Ference did not practice on Wednesday, while Redden skated briefly before leaving the session early. Bruins head coach Claude Julien isnt saying whether any of the three players will be availaable for Game 1 on Thursday.dddddddddddd The injuries mean Julien may have to ask for more minutes from unproven defensemen like Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski. Goaltender Tuukka Rask went 19-10-5 with a 2.00 goals against average during the regular season but he posted a 2.49 GAA in seven games against the Leafs. All told, the Finnish netminder is 11-9 with a 2.57 GAA in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the backbone of the Rangers is goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and the reigning Vezina Trophy winner certainly showed his worth in the opening round against Washington. After posting consecutive shutouts against the Capitals in Games 6 and 7, the 31-year-old Swede finished the series with a 1.65 GAA and .947 save percentage. He has eight career postseason shutouts and five of them have come since the start of the 2012 playoffs. Lundqvist enters Round 2 riding a scoreless streak of 120 minutes after allowing his last goal -- an overtime game-winner -- to Washingtons Mike Ribeiro in Game 5. Logging the big minutes in front of Lundqvist are defensemen Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh, who both averaged more than 25 minutes of ice time a game in Round 1. Girardi and Michael Del Zotto led the Rangers blue line with one goal and one assist each, while Steve Eminger chipped in with two helpers. Like the Bruins, New Yorks most glaring weakness is scoring. The Rangers have enough talent up front to sustain pressure, but they often wind up with little to show for it. Leading the charge for New York on offense in the opening round was Derick Brassard, a player who was acquired at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Marian Gaborik to Columbus. Brassard tied four other players for the team lead with two goals against the Caps and he also recorded seven assists. Arron Asham, Brian Boyle, Carl Hagelin and Derek Stepan each posted two goals for New Yorks balanced scoring attack in Round 1. However, the Rangers are waiting for Rick Nash and Brad Richards -- the clubs two most expensive skaters -- to chip in on offense. Nash, who comes with an annual cap hit of $7.8 million, was acquired in a trade with Columbus last summer to help make New York a more formidable offensive team. He did lead the Rangers with 21 goals in the regular season, but had just two assists in the seven-game set. Richards, who signed a nine-year, $58.5 million contract prior to the 2011-12 season, had one goal in the opening round. A former Conn Smythe winner for Tampa Bay in 2004, Richards recorded six goals and nine assists for the Rangers in last years playoffs. The Rangers won two of three meetings against the Bruins this season, but the clubs havent played each other since Feb. 12, when New York notched its second OT victory of the season against Boston. Despite winning two of the three games, Lundqvist had a lofty 2.95 GAA against Boston this season, while Rask went 1-0-2 with a 2.62 GAA. Nash paced New York with three assists in the season series, while Gaborik led the team with three goals against Boston before being traded. Lucic, Horton and Brad Marchand each notched two goals for the Bruins. Game 2 of this series is scheduled for Sunday in Boston. The Bruins were 16-5-3 as the host during the regular season and 2-2 in the first round. New York was 1-3 at Washington in Round 1, posting its only road win in Game 7. The Rangers were 10-12-2 as the guest in 2013. ' ' '