ASHBURN, Va. -- Ziggy Hood didnt let a foot injury slow him down. He put some in-soles in his cleats and worked his way back into the NFL.A year after tearing the plantar fascia in his left foot, the 29-year-old defensive lineman showed the Washington Redskins he could still rush the passer as well as he did earlier in his career. And Hood didnt just earn a roster spot -- hell start Monday night against the team that drafted him, the Pittsburgh Steelers.Every day he brought his lunch pail, defensive end Chris Baker said Wednesday. Hes one of those guys that if a young guy wants to know how you can stay in the league, you want to watch a guy like Ziggy because he goes 100 percent all day. He knew what was at stake this year, and he went out there and worked his butt off and made this team.Washingtons coaching staff didnt know what to expect from Hood after signing him to a futures contract over the winter, especially after the injury. But the 2009 first-round pick made his presence felt all training camp and in preseason games to earn the starting defensive end job opposite Baker.Once we got the pads on him was really when he stood out, coach Jay Gruden said. The 1-on-1 drills, the team drills, he was in the backfield being very disruptive. It was a consistent thing. It wasnt like one day he did well and the next day he didnt do anything. He was consistently a nuisance and a problem for our offense.Being consistently a nuisance was part of Hoods career revitalization plan. Since his time in Pittsburgh ended following the 2013 season, Hood felt himself succeeding in flashes and disappearing for stretches.That wasnt going to work. He went back to the style and mentality that made him a starter with the Steelers.A private coach told him not every sack is going to be pretty, so Hood ditched the finesse and went back to a power rushing game.One of my most favorite things to do is to weightlift, so I have to move that from there and put it on the field, Hood said. Why not use my power and leverage that I got and use it on the field? Thats what I was able to do this training camp.It was never going to be a matter of Hood not working hard enough. He insists hes not old -- or at least doesnt feel old -- but he had to show he still had something in the tank.By the time the fourth preseason game rolled around, Hood didnt even have to travel or play. He was already a lock to be on the 53-man roster.Ziggy was always a hard-working professional, so its no surprise to me that hes still sustaining himself and being helpful to a football team, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said on a conference call Wednesday. Hes always had a good natural get-off. Hes always working at his craft. He realizes that as a professional, detail is an element of it, and when he was with us that was always his approach to getting better.Thats the lesson Hood taught current Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward, who still considers the veteran a friend.Ziggy was always a great teammate, unselfish, Heyward said. He came to work every day with his hard hat on.With hard hat and pads on, Hood was at his best at Redskins camp. The Missouri product learned to play the edge and inside and took advantage of a defense that allowed him more freedom to get to the quarterback.The more you know, the better opportunity you (give) yourself to get out on the field, Hood said. I was fortunate enough and blessed to make the roster here predicated from hard work and determination and was able to go out there and do something.Note: Shawn Lauvao won the starting left guard job over banged-up Spencer Long. Lauvao showed he was healthy after five surgeries to repair damage to his left ankle and right foot.---AP Sports freelancer Dan Scifo in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Minnesota Timberwolves Jerseys . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. Justin Patton Jersey . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. http://www.officialtimberwolvesproshop.com/authentic-tyus-jones-timberwolves-jersey/ . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Karl-Anthony Towns Jersey . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. Custom Minnesota Timberwolves Jerseys . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Last year, the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot was run three weeks after the Breeders Cup Juvenile. That timing worked for Exaggerator, who wheeled back off a fourth in the Juvenile to win the Jackpot. This year, the Jackpot comes just two weeks after the Juvenile. It remains to be seen how this timing works out, but the Jackpot is still the marquee race of this weekend, followed by the Grade 3, $400,000 Delta Downs Princess, the main supporting event on a stakes-packed undercard.There is also a stakes-packed program at Laurel Park on Saturday, headed by the Grade 3, $250,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash.Delta Downs JackpotGunnevera is the only graded stakes winner this 10-horse field - he won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special two starts back - and is also the only one in this field to have competed in a Grade 1 event -- he finished fifth in Keenelands Breeders Futurity most recently -- and that will not be lost on the betting public. Moreover, Gunnevera will be reunited with Javier Castellano, who was aboard for the Saratoga Special score, and that will also conspire to drive down his odds.It will be no surprise if Gunnevera wins, but Im not featuring him. His big finish in the Saratoga Special was visually enhanced because pacesetter Recruiting Ready completely fell apart late. And while Gunnevera had been off two months and was stretching out to two turns for the first time in the Breeders Futurity, he was put to a heavy drive on the far turn and yet all he did was give a little ground.J Boys Echo is my play. I realize J Boys Echo is moving up significantly off a win at Keeneland over only maidens, and I know he must improve his Beyer Figures to contend here. But from what I saw in his recent score, Im confident he can handle both.J Boys Echo, a fast-closing second in his debut two starts back, stretched out to a route last time and was locked and loaded from virtually the start. Yes, he was fortunate to get through inside at the top of the stretch when the pacesetter ducked out sharply. But I was still impressed with the way J Boys Echo drew off late despite being barely asked.dddddddddddd He ran through the wire powerfully, like a colt who has much, much more to him, and Im anticipating a big move forward from him Saturday.We might have seen the start of a nice rivalry two weeks ago in the Juvenile between Classic Empire, trained by Mark Casse, and Not This Time, trained by Dale Romans. Romans also trains J Boys Echo, whose most dangerous challenger Saturday is, in my view, the Casse-trained Our Stormin Norman.Like J Boys Echo, Our Stormin Norman comes into this off a Keeneland maiden victory, showing dramatic improvement with blinkers on to score decisively and earn a field-best Beyer of 88.Delta Downs PrincessThere is a lot of early speed here, and I want a filly who can finish. That filly is Golden Mischief.Golden Mischief showed early foot in her first three starts, all losses. She adopted a closing approach in her fourth start, and has since won three straight, all in decisive fashion. Golden Mischiefs allowance win two back resulted in a field-best Beyer of 82. Her score most recently in the My Trusty Cat, the local prep for this race, was especially good. Golden Mischief was four wide on the first turn and three wide on the far turn, yet still won as much the best.De Francis DashX Y Jet was sensational early this year, but tired badly in the Vosburgh in his return from a knee chip, His trainer, Jorge Navarro, has won at a 31 percent clip this year and at 29 percent over the last five years, but has been relatively cold lately, going only 2 for 16 over the last 30 days.Stallwalkin Dude is the most logical alternative, but I question how strong a field he beat in the Bold Ruler last time, so Im going with Life in Shambles.Life in Shambless last three dirt performances were strong. He romped in the first two of those, and was second most recently after a bad trip that saw him steady at several points, putting him in a hole he couldnt quite escape. 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