DAVIE, Fla. -- Isaiah Pead is the Miami Dolphins leading rusher this preseason, and there are other ways to measure his rising stock as he challenges for a roster spot and perhaps even a spot in the running back rotation.Early this year Pead was out of the NFL, living with his mom and distressed by his unfulfilled potential as a former second-round draft pick.There was time when I sat back and said, `Man, what happened? he said Monday. Then you wake up the next day and get to work.Pead considered looking for a regular job or starting a trucking company back home in Columbus, Ohio. Instead he continued to work at football, staying in shape and trying out whenever teams beckoned.He estimates he worked out for eight or 10 teams this past offseason before receiving a contract offer from the Dolphins in March, and he has made plenty of positive plays in the drills, practices and practice games since.It just seems like every time he touches the ball, something good happens for us, coach Adam Gase said.Pead has had a strong training camp at an unsettled position. First-team running back Jay Ajayi is unproven, second-teamer Arian Foster is coming back from Achilles tendon surgery, and neither was impressive in the first two preseason games.By contrast, Pead had a 45-yard run and a 30-yard reception Friday at Dallas. In two games he has 98 yards rushing in 14 carries, a 7.0 average. Ajayi and Foster have combined for 20 yards in 10 carries, a 2.0 average.Pead is trying to help his chances with the Dolphins by playing on four special teams units, something he never did in high school or at the University of Cincinnati.This league is special, Pead said. To be in this league, youve got to be a special person. I always knew I could play in this league. It was just a matter of capitalizing on opportunities. Heres one.Quarterback Ryan Tannehill said Pead is doing his best to take advantage of the chance.I didnt know a whole lot about him, Tannehill said. But he has really impressed me since he has been here with the way he works. Hes constantly out there working.Pead was drafted 50th overall in 2012 by the St. Louis Rams but carried the ball only 19 times for them and missed the 2014 season because of a knee injury.After the Rams released him last September, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers but never saw action.It teaches you the downside of how this league can be, Pead said.Already discouraged by a succession of unsuccessful tryouts last spring, he wasnt optimistic about landing a deal after he worked out for the Dolphins.I dropped a couple of balls, I stumbled a few times, Pead said. I texted my agent, `I think I blew this one.Miami called later that day with a contract offer.We knew his background, Gase said. He did enough in the workout. It wasnt as bad as he was making it out to be. He did well enough for us to say, `Lets give this guy a shot, and he has made the most of it.When Peads career is done, he still plans to start a business with dump trucks or semis, but now hes thinking he might base his company in South Florida.I love it down here, Pead said with a grin, hopeful he has finally found an NFL home.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve-Wine His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/steven-wineDeMarcus Cousins Kings Jersey . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. Bruno Caboclo Kings Jersey . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. https://www.kingslockerroom.com/Iman-Shumpert-City-Edition-Jersey/ .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. Cory Joseph Kings Jersey . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. Harry Giles Kings Jersey . The giant slalom world champion slipped during her first run in the morning, landing on her back and then twisting forward before getting her leg caught in the protective material on the side of the slope.BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Roy Williams thought Assembly Hall put on a perfect show Wednesday night.Fans roared when Cubs outfielder and former Hoosiers star Kyle Schwarber was introduced as honorary game captain. They made Chicago Blackhawks national anthem singer and Indiana alum James Cornelison feel right at home by cheering through his performance of the song. The fans stayed on their feet most of the night and did whatever they could to keep the Hoosiers on track for their fifth straight home win against a top three team.Then there was the curious case of Williams Tar Heels.Seven days after returning from a four-game Hawaiian road trip, one on which they trailed for a combined total of 16 seconds, No. 3 North Carolina never led and spent most of the game trying to fight its way out of a double-digit deficit before finally losing 76-67 to No. 13 Indiana.Williams was understandably unhappy.We were not ready to play, he said. We did not shoot free throws, we didnt rebound the basketball, we didnt get the loose balls, At the half, they had more second-chance points -- they had five or six fast-break points -- and we had none. Everything, everything (went wrong).Usually, Williams and his teams leave opponents frustrated and searching for answers.But it was obvious from the opening minutes Wednesday that this was not going to be a typical game.North Carolina (7-1) gave up the first two baskets, trailed 17-7 in less than 6 minutes and found itself facing a 28-11 deficit midway through the first half.Perhaps even more disconcerting was that Williams couldnt explain how his team came out so flat in such a raucous environment.It was a wonderful crowd.dddddddddddd. Gosh, I would like to play in front of a crowd like that in the Smith Center every night other than the Duke game, Williams said. It was a big-time crowd, but Ive got to coach better and the players have to play better.They need to respond better, too.The Tar Heels came into the ACC-Big Ten Challenge as the nights feature attraction. They were averaging 92.9 points and shooting 51.9 percent from the field. And yet, against the Big Tens highest scoring team, North Carolina started the night 5 of 17 from the field and just 2 of 9 on 2-point shots.Youve just got to learn that you cant be attacked. They came out, they wanted it more at the beginning, we found ourselves in a hole and we tried to come back, guard Joel Berry II said after scoring eight points. But it was just too late.North Carolina came back in the second half, cutting the deficit to 61-57 with 4:52 to go, but they never made it a one-possession game and Indiana (5-1) pulled away for their second straight win since a befuddling upset at IPFW .I dont think our kids understood what we were talking about when we said how emotional it was going to be, how much they are going to be, Williams said. They did not correct everything from Mississippi Valley State (Sundays game). My guess, and purely a guess, (Indiana coach) Tom (Crean) wished they didnt even have Mississippi Valley State. He probably wanted us the next game.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . ' ' '