CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Cornerback Leon Hall jogged toward the right side of the defence and took his customary place, matched against receiver Mohamed Sanu. Jack Doyle Jersey . The play was a handoff, so Hall didnt have to do much. Thats not what mattered. Hall lined up for the first 11-on-11 play in the Bengals first practice of training camp on Thursday, an encouraging sign for one of the NFLs top defences. "It means a lot," Hall said. The 29-year-old cornerback tore his right Achilles tendon midway through last season, the second time hes sustained such an injury. He tore his left Achilles in 2011, but was back as the starter the following year and played very well. Hes made another quick and full recovery. "There was never really a doubt in my mind," Hall said. "It was just trying to be patient enough to go through that long process again." Even though hes fine physically, Hall hasnt been able to be on the field during off-season workouts, so hes still got a lot of work to do on his form. At one point during the afternoon practice, he went to the sideline and worked on his side-to-side movement. "I felt good," he said after practice. "No pain. I felt strong. My footwork wasnt very good, but thats going to come in a few days." Defensive tackle Geno Atkins is coming back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament and wanted to participate in the first practice, but was held out on Thursday as a precaution. Coach Marvin Lewis wants to give him a few days to ease in before hes cleared to fully practice. Hall is a mainstay on a defence that has ranked among the leagues top 10 for each of the past three years, finishing third overall in yards allowed last season. The Bengals never doubted that hed be ready despite his second significant injury in three seasons. "Leon, he works hard at everything he does," defensive co-ordinator Paul Guenther said. "If you can have a poster child for a coachs guy, thats him. Hell do whatever he has to do. He spent the whole off-season getting that thing back to go. Im excited to see him back on the field." After Halls Achilles surgery in 2011, there were doubts about whether he would still be quick enough to cover the other teams top receiver. When he got back on the field, he was just as good, if not better. "His speed became better last time, which is really something," Lewis said. "I thought he played faster in 2012 than he did before. I think thats what excites him about this: Maybe anatomically Ive got something that made me better." Hall doesnt know if he was that much faster after the first Achilles surgery, but all of the rehabilitation work has him in good shape for the start of camp. "I feel like I felt years ago, before I did the first one," Hall said. "Ive heard numerous times that your Achilles is technically stronger after you have the surgery. I wouldnt suggest going and tearing your Achilles, but thats just what I heard from the doctors and people in general. Thats good news. "I feel better. Lets just hope it translates to the field." Notes: The Bengals claimed first-year WR Conner Vernon off waivers from Cleveland and signed free agent WR Jeremy Johnson, a rookie from Southern Methodist. They waived punter T.J. Conley. ... OL Andrew Whitworth was held out of practice with a sore calf. ... At the start of practice, a couple of fans hung two banners from a public bridge that overlooks the practice fields. The first banner urged the Bengals not to sign quarterback Andy Dalton to a contract extension. The other said: "AJ to AJ, the future is now." The Bengals signed quarterback AJ McCarron in the fifth round. McCarron didnt throw to A.J. Green on Thursday -- hes resting a sore passing shoulder. Nate Hairston Jersey . Under the deal, the Vikings will donate an undisclosed sum of money to five gay rights-related charities over the next five years. Kluwe said he wont receive any money as part of the settlement. "This will help a lot of people that really do need that help," Kluwe said. Anthony Castonzo Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, the Green Bay Packers have re-signed the cornerback to a four-year, $39 million deal with a $12. http://www.coltsfansshop.com/Colts-Jacoby-Brissett-Draft-Jersey/ . Louis Cardinals a hard-fought victory. The Colorado Rockies intentionally walked Yadier Molina with one out and runners on first and third to load the bases for Kozma.NEW ORLEANS -- Nothing like nighttime in New Orleans to inspire a memorable performance from Drew Brees and the Saints. Playing Dallas beleaguered defence didnt hurt, either. Brees completed 34 of 41 passes for 392 yards and four touchdowns, and the Saints beat the Cowboys 49-17 on Sunday night. The Saints (7-2) had an NFL-record 40 first downs and a franchise-record 625 total yards in their 12th straight prime-time victory in the Superdome. New Orleans had 242 yards rushing, its highest total since 1990. "Spreading the ball around, getting everybody involved -- these are the days you love to have," Brees said. "You strive for efficiency both in the run and the pass game. We had that today." Brees touchdown passes went for 52 yards to Kenny Stills, 22 yards to Marques Colston, 28 yards to Darren Sproles and a yard to Pierre Thomas. Sproles also had a 3-yard touchdown run, and Mark Ingram added a 4-yard scoring run en route to a career-high 145 yards rushing on 14 carries. "We just wanted to come out here on a national stage and just prove to everybody that we could play smash-mouth football and run the ball," Ingram said. "Ive been waiting for a 100-yard game since I got in the league. ... The line just did a great job, just a fantastic job. They were just getting a hat on a hat, creating seams for us to run through. When theyre dominating the line of scrimmage like that it makes our job easy." Brees described Ingram as "a man on a mission," and it came at a good time. The Saints had lost two of their previous three and needed a victory to stay a game ahead of Carolina for first place in the NFC South. DeMarco Murray had 89 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries for Dallas (5-5), highlighted by his 35-yard scamper on a fake reverse. That set up his 7-yard scoring run that gave the Cowboys a short-lived 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. Dallas did not score again until Tony Romos 21-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams in the last minute of the third quarter. The loss dropped Dallas into a tie with Philadelphia atop the NFC East. Dallas was frustrated offensively for much of the game against a defence that has turned around dramatically under co-ordinator Rob Ryan, fired by the Cowboys after last season. Star receiver Dez Bryant, covered mostly by Keenan Lewis, did not have his first and only catch -- a 44-yarder -- until late in the third quarter. Jabaal Sheard Jersey. Jason Witten was held to two catches for 27 yards. Romo was 10 of 24 for 128 yards and was sacked three times. "We have to play better football than this in all facets," Romo said. "We have to figure out what we can do to be a better football team because that obviously was not good enough. It was just difficult. They are a good team. Give them credit. They beat us today. It wasnt a fun game." The Cowboys porous pass defence entered the game already having set an NFL record by allowing four quarterbacks to throw for more than 400 yards. Brees was on track to become the fifth, but fell just short after the Saints decided to stop throwing with a big lead in the fourth quarter. At one point, Brees strung together 19 straight completions, tying his personal best and franchise record. Making matters worse for Dallas was a hamstring injury to linebacker Sean Lee, the Cowboys leading tackler. "There just were very few plays that we stopped. They were able to go to a lot of different things," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "They ran the ball when they wanted to run it and Drew Brees did a fantastic job reading coverages and finding the right guy." Sproles, whose concussion a week earlier forced him to miss most of the Saints 26-20 road loss to the New York Jets, caught seven passes for 76 yards. Getting Colston involved was another encouraging sign for the Saints a week after the veteran receiver sat out against the Jets with a knee injury. Colston had seven catches for 107 yards. His touchdown grab was the 60th of his career, all from Brees. On Colstons touchdown, Sproles made a key block on blitzing linebacker Barry Church, giving Brees enough time to throw over the middle. Colston then slipped safety Jeff Heaths tackle before diving across the goal line. NOTES: The Saints broke the first downs record of 39 for a regulation game set by the Jets against Miami on Nov. 27, 1988. ... Saints TE Benjamin Watson left the game with a concussion after his head slammed to the turf on a near touchdown catch. ... S Kenny Vaccaro left the game in the second half, but the Saints did not update his condition. ... Cowboys LB Justin Durant left with a hamstring pull and DE DeMarcus Ware said he re-aggravated a quadriceps injury that sidelined him the previous three games. Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Bruins Jerseys Cheap Sabres Jerseys Cheap Flames Jerseys Cheap Hurricanes Jerseys Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Blue Jackets Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Oilers Jerseys Cheap Florida Panthers Jerseys Cheap Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Cheap Wild Jerseys ' ' '