The post Jets RB Zac Stacy impresses in bid to land job appeared first on Sports News One.
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Seth Wenig/APZac Stacy makes strong run to beat out Daryl Richardson, earning praise of coach Todd Bowles.
When you’re in a position battle, it’s never a bad thing to garner the nickname “Mr. Consistency” from your head coach. That’s exactly what running back Zac Stacy has done this preseason.
Stacy, whom the Jets acquired via trade from the Rams in May, caught a touchdown pass for the second straight game in Thursday night’s 24-18 win over the Eagles. He added 68 yards on the ground to finish the preseason with 154 rushing yards and a 3.5 yards-per-carry average.
With Stevan Ridley still rehabbing from the knee injury he suffered last season, Stacy appears likely to claim a spot on the Jets’ final 53-man roster as the No. 3 running back, with final cuts due Saturday by 4 p.m.
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“Zac’s been consistent. Zac’s been very consistent,” Todd Bowles said. “He’s tough. We knew he was tough with the blocking. He can catch the ball. He can run the ball. He’s been doing a great job every week. He’s been Mr. Consistency.”
Stacy, who is battling for his spot with Daryl Richardson, carried the ball just three times in a preseason-opening loss to the Lions. The following week against the Falcons, he ran for 17 yards on eight carries to go along with four catches for 25 yards. But Stacy then broke out in the Snoopy Bowl against the Giants, showcasing an ability to catch balls out of the backfield with a preseason-defining play. He collected a screen pass and scampered 24 yards for a touchdown, leaping over Giants safety Brandon Meriweather near the pylon to break a 7-7 tie. Stacy also ran for 60 yards on 13 carries in the victory.
Mr. Consistency showed similar aptitude early in the second quarter Thursday night, catching an inside screen pass on third-and-goal from the 5 before knifing his way through contact for a touchdown. Later in the period, he carried another short pass 25 yards down the sideline, eventually setting up a 42-yard field goal from Nick Folk.
“This game was very important to a lot of guys, including myself,” Stacy said after the win over the Eagles. “I didn’t really want to add any pressure, per se, but at the end of the day, just wanted to go out and perform and make an impression.”
Wide receiver Chris Owusu was another Jet on the roster-bubble trying to wow coaches Thursday night — and he made a similarly strong claim.
Owusu, who missed time during training camp with a concussion, started the game out wide and was a favorite target of quarterback Matt Flynn. Owusu capped off the Jets’ opening drive with an 18-yard touchdown grab and went on to catch five passes on six targets for 72 yards.
“I have hope,” Owusu said of his chances to make the team. “I’m excited for what happens next.”
Stacy, meanwhile, hopes his consistency speaks for itself.
“I just left it out on the field,” Stacy said. “I just tried to play productive, tried to play consistent.”
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]]>The post WATCH: Man impresses in tryout for Miami Heat dance team appeared first on Sports News One.
]]>A Miami man with a passion for dance and the local NBA team performed his heart out during tryouts for the Miami Heat’s dance team. An online video of his amazing moves has blown many people away over the Internet as the performance has gone viral.
But Keith Wilson was unable to secure a spot on the squad, a decision he feels was because of his sex.
“I think if I was a woman, yeah (he would have made the team),” he said. “I love dancing, it’s my passion. The Miami Heat is one of those organizations where anything is possible. That’s what I was looking for.”
MJ Acosta-TV via YouTubeMiami man Keith Wilson, 28, impressed when he tried to become the first man to make the Miami Heat’s all-female dance team on Aug. 2.
MJ Acosta-TV via YouTube
Despite an online video of his performance going viral, Wilson was cut after making the first two rounds. He believes he would have made the team if he was a woman.
The video, posted by TV Station WPLG reporter MJ Acosta, shows Wilson, 28, take center stage during a segment on the tryouts on Aug. 2.
With many female dancers around him, Wilson moves to the middle and takes command of the court shaking his body, lifting his leg in the air and finishing with a split to Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls).”
I think it’s time for a change. It’s time for people to stop looking at it as male or female but as the art.
The routine drew many cheers on that day as well as online as the video has received more than 350,000 views as of Wednesday morning.
Wilson told the Daily News none of his movements were planned. He just busted them out during the freestyle period. It was towards the end of a long day of auditions as Wilson made the first two cuts that narrowed the field from 200 to 50.
But Wilson was among the next cut that eliminated 15 more hopefuls.
Wilson, who founded the Exclusive Vibes Contemporary Dance Theater in 2008, and is currently in school to become a dance instructor, had previously auditioned for the squad in 2012. He was cut then but said he was optimistic about his chances this time around.
“I just had high hopes it would be different this time, that they would be more open to allow a guy to go forward and make the team,” he said.
Wilson said he is happy for all of the women that made the squad, but feels he also deserved a spot.
He disagreed ith the notion that the team was “sexist,” but said they were “not open” to a male dancer “at this time.”
Wilson, who also works as a counselor to people diagnosed with HIV, has experience with breaking the gender lines. He said he was the first male to join the dance team for his band at Miami Edison Senior High School.
Courtesy Keith WilsonHe auditioned in 2012 and plans to try out again in the future.
Courtesy Keith Wilson
Wilson said he didn’t think the Heat were ‘open’ to a male dancer.
Courtesy Keith Wilson
Wilson was the first male dancer at his high school band.
The majority of professional sports teams have all-female groups that perform in skimpy outfits during breaks in the games. Though many fans look at them as eye candy, Wilson said he’s drawn to their performances and how the organization supports the dancers and helps them with their careers.
A group of 25 women made the squad last year. A Miami Heat spokesman did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday.
“I think it’s time for a change,” he said. “It’s time for people to stop looking at it as male or female but as the art. The art has no gender. We all take (dance) classes together. Why should it be any different (when they perform?)”
But Wilson isn’t done trying to dance over the gender line. He said he plans to audition again in the future.
“I will. I won’t stop until they see all the passion I have for them,” he said.
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