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NAPA, Calif. -- Raiders tight end Clive Walford had the type of offseason that makes coaches cringe and smile.Walford suffered a knee injury while riding an ATV, and while the accident wasnt serious, it was enough to keep the 2015 third-round draft pick out of all of Oaklands OTAs and minicamps.On the other hand, Walford healed up enough to spend time with quarterback Derek Carr for private workouts, making up for the lost time and giving Walford a head start going into training camp.Walford showed how critical that was to his development when he made a one-handed catch on a deep throw from Carr during individual drills Wednesday.Youll see him every day we come out to warm up, as soon as he comes out he comes straight to me and wants to catch from me, Carr said. Thats the kind of things that we need and thats how he is.Walford is trying to make it through the preseason without a setback after missing large chunks of training camp during his rookie season because of hamstring and knee injuries.The injuries prevented Walford from practicing and were a major factor in his slow start. A holder of numerous tight end records at the University of Miami, Walford caught only three passes in the Raiders first five games a year ago and finished with 28 receptions for 329 yards and three touchdowns.Part of that was due to Oaklands revolving door at tight end in 2015. Mychal Rivera caught 32 passes as the primary receiving tight end while Lee Smith was used primarily as an extra blocker.Although its possible the Raiders might still keep three tight ends for the upcoming season, its equally likely theyll go with two.Walford figures to be atop the depth chart no matter how many tight ends Oakland keeps. He is a better blocker than Rivera, a better receiver than Smith and has the size (6-foot-4, 250 pounds) to be a match-up problem against opposing linebackers and safeties.I just continue to do what Ive been doing, working hard ever since I was at Miami, Walford said. If you work hard itll start to show. I guess thats what its doing.The Raiders werent happy when news broke of Walfords injury while riding the ATV. Walford said he hit an unexpected bump on the trail and tumbled off.Believe it or not, when the accident first happened I didnt realize how serious it was until I got to the hospital, Walford said. I thought maybe I just needed some stitches. They told me I was going to be out for a while, so I had to inform the team.Although he was unable to take part in on-field workouts while recovering, Walford stayed busy in the meeting rooms and weight room. Catching passes from Carr away from practices also helped make up for the lost time.The chemistry is still there, Walford said. I just have to get back into football shape.Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said Walfords desire to work out with Carr on the side was encouraging.When you take the time to get on the same page with your quarterback, if youre somebody thats going to catch the ball and be involved in the offense, thats a positive thing, Del Rio said. Thats a great sign for our football team. We see him as a real key player in our offense. Glad to have him back doing his thing.Game notes Undrafted defensive lineman Greg Townsend Jr. returned to practice. ... Owner Mark Davis will fly Friday to Canton, Ohio, along with his mother for the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for the late Ken Stabler.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Roger Staubach Youth Jersey . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. Emmitt Smith Jersey . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. https://www.cowboyssportsgoods.com/Womens-Emmitt-Smith-Inverted-Jersey/ . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. Tony Pollard Cowboys Jersey . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Jaylon Smith Youth Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me.The severity of injuries in rugby union are at an all-time high, according to a report by the Rugby Football Union. The report also highlights the increase in incidences in concussion in the game.The authors examined last seasons domestic, European and international games and found that concussion remains the most common match injury for the fourth consecutive season. Concussion accounted for 17 per cent of all match injuries - up four per cent on the 2013-14 season, and the severity of match injuries was the highest reported since 2002.But the continued focus on improving concussion awareness among players, coaches, referees and medical staff would have contributed to the rise in reported cases.The average time that a player remained away from rugby after a match concussion was 12 days which remained stable compared to previous seasons.The tackle remains the most commonly associated with injury, accounting for 36 per cent of all match injuries.There have been concerns about the use of artificial grass, as used by Saracens at Allianz Park, but the report found that there were no clear differences in incidences or severity of injuries suffered on them. Northampton Saints George North was concussed more than once last season However, the risk of training injuries was lower than that seen in the previous two seasons.The overall likelihood of a player suffering a match or training injury remained stable last season and within the expected range of variation seen since the project began in 2002.And the figures for the severity of injuries suffered last season will have been skewed by the disproportionate effect of a small increase in a number of relatively uncommon injuries which causedd more than 84 days absence for players.ddddddddddddIn particular there were double the number of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) injuries to the knee than in 2013-14. There was a reduction of recurrent match injuries, continuing the trend seen since 2007-08. This was the result of the continued delivery of effective rehabilitation of injuries by club medical and conditioning teams.Simon Kemp, RFU Chief Medical Officer said: While the injury rate has remained relatively stable since the study began in 2002, we cant ignore the recent trend for an increasing mean severity of injury.Further research is needed to establish the underlying reasons for this. In terms of concussion, we are continuing to work hard on education, game day management and return to play based on the best medical and scientific evidence we have available to us.Our awareness programme has very significantly changed players, coaches and referees understanding of the injury and we believe that the principles of recognise and remove, recover and return are being consistently delivered. Richard Bryan, the Rugby Director for the Rugby Players Association, added: With the increased number of reported concussions and concussion remaining the most common match injury, education and raising awareness are clearly having an effect.Nevertheless the game needs to continue with its work of exploring all avenues for concussion prevention measures and we are pleased that the report expressly references this.The full report can be read on the England rugby website.The issue will be investigated in a Sky Sports 1 programme, Concussion, the Impact on Sport, from 10pm on Monday. Also See: Hogg Six Nations top player Rugby on Sky Follow @SkySportsRugby Pundits ' ' '