JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Maurice Jones-Drew made good on his promise. The Jacksonville Jaguars running back said in June that he would be ready to go at the start of training camp. On Tuesday, two days before the Jaguars report to camp, coach Gus Bradley announced that Jones-Drew had been cleared by team doctors to start practice with his teammates on Friday. "Im extremely, extremely excited by the progress hes made. Hes been cleared by our training staff," Bradley said. "The biggest thing with us as a staff, is to be really smart with Maurice. Were going to have to bring him along slowly. Youll see him out there getting some reps but we want to make sure were smart with him and how fast we bring him back." Jones-Drew last practice with the team was the middle of October last year following the teams bye week. He suffered a fracture of his left foot, later diagnosed as a Lisfranc injury, on the first play from scrimmage against Oakland on October 21. He missed all of the Jaguars OTA practices and the teams minicamp for veterans in mid-June. But on the last day of the Jaguars minicamp, the NFLs leading rusher in 2011 said he would be ready when camp opened in late July. "Its been a long time coming. Im excited to get out there, run around and play," Jones-Drew said. "Not playing football for 10 months, you get out of football shape a little bit, but I feel like after a week or two Ill be able to get out there to do what I need to do to be ready." He wouldnt say what his weight is going into camp but said he would likely drop a little more once he starts practicing. "I dont need to drop much, but just a little bit more just so I get comfortable and get ready to play," he said. Last year he opened the season at 217 but said he would like to start the regular season this fall around 212 to 215. Despite being away from the game for the last 10 months, Jones-Drew said he hasnt changed since he last carried the ball for the Jaguars. "Im the same guy. Thats how Ive been training, like I wasnt hurt," he said. "I just cant wait to get back out there. "For me, not playing football for 10 months, not wearing pads, not having that soreness, thats the thing you want to get back and get used to. Other than that, everything else is natural." Jones-Drew said the off-season incident at a St. Augustine restaurant is behind him. He allegedly hit a bouncer in the face at The Conch House Restaurant in late May. Jones-Drew was never officially charged. "It has been behind me. It was just an unfortunate situation that happened," he said. "Im just ready for football now. That was a hot story for a while, now its time to play football. Its a relief now that we can talk football." On the field the biggest unresolved position battle for the Jaguars remains at quarterback. Neither Blaine Gabbert nor Chad Henne distanced themselves from the other to claim the starting job. Bradley said its a wide open competition for the starting spot, one that hes looking forward to seeing how it plays out. "Im not going to get into how were going to do reps, but they will all be faced in the same situations," the first-year Jaguars coach said. "We have a plan in place as far as the quarterback situation. I know in Seattle we faced some of the same situations. Im trusting my gut along with the help of other coaches that when the time is right, well make that decision." The news on Jones-Drew overshadows the status of several other players who will start camp on the sidelines, including another offensive weapon for the Jaguars. Wide receiver Justin Blackmon had groin surgery following the teams last off-season workout in June. Bradley said the second-year receiver will be placed on PUP (physically unable to perform) when he reports to the team on Thursday. Blackmon needs the training camp practices and preseason games to help prepare for the month hell miss during the regular season. In late April, he was suspended for the first four games of the season after a second violation of the NFLs substance-abuse policy in less than a year. Three other players will also be withheld from the start of practice. Johnathan Cyprien, second-round draft pick in the spring who is projected as a starter at safety, is on the non-football injury list after suffering a strained hamstring during a workout in Miami last week. In addition, rookie guard Stephane Milhim (foot) will start on PUP and fourth-year receiver Taylor Price (foot) will be placed on PUP when he reports on Thursday. Hockey Jerseys China . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. Wholesale Hockey Jerseys . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. 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It has been a college soccer season with its share of challenges.But after figuring out which players would skip the season to focus on the FIFA Under-20 Womens World Cup that begins this weekend in Papua New Guinea and where those who remained would finish the season after the College Cup was moved out of North Carolina as part of the NCAA response to legislation in that state, the postseason is finally here.Now that 64 teams know the objective is a place in San Jose, California, what questions remain about the bracket as a whole and this weeks opening round in particular?How do you pick a favorite?When it comes to the reliability of favorites, womens college soccer is safe territory.The problem is that it isnt clear which team that is this year. All the regular season did was separate the three teams that lost just once from the chasing pack. All three enter the tournament as No. 1 seeds.West Virginia enters having just erased a two-goal deficit to win the Big 12 final against TCU, after not conceding a goal against conference opponents to that point in the season. In World Cup and Olympic veteran Kadeisha Buchanan, the Mountaineers have perhaps the best player in college soccer as their defensive cornerstone. Missing is any tournament history beyond the quarterfinals, which means they would be trying to become the third team, alongside Florida in 1998 and USC in 2007, to win a title in their College Cup debut. It doesnt help that in a part of the bracket that features No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Duke and No. 4 UCLA, they will be without defender Bianca St. Georges, who is playing for Canada in the U-20 World Cup.Stanford has its own excused absences to deal with, though it will hope to survive a first-round game against Houston Baptist without captain Andi Sullivan. The midfielder was so good in her first stint with the U.S. national team earlier this fall that she earned another call-up this week. You could forgive the Cardinal for being skittish about playing less than whole. Their loss came at USC, a game played without starting goalkeeper Jane Campbell because of an earlier red card. The most potent offense of the one-loss teams, Stanford also had the most porous defense of the three. Each of the other seeds in Stanfords quarter of the bracket, No. 2 Georgetown, No. 3 Virginia and No. 4 Minnesota, ranked in the top 25 nationally in goals per game as of last week.South Carolina, meanwhile, is in much the same situation as West Virginia: seeking to turn a College Cup debut into the programs first national title. Having home-field advantage through the quarterfinals, if the team advances, should be a big deal for the Gamecocks -- all the more if they end up opposite No. 3 Clemson in a quarterfinal. They average 3,173 fans per game (though they drew fewer than 1,000 in a first-round loss a season ago). Junior Savannah McCaskill has more goals this season (16) than West Virginia and Stanfords most prolific forwards combined, and a back line comprised of seniors Paige Bendell, Kaleigh Kurtz, Evelyn Robinson and junior Anna Conklin is the cornerstone of a defense that has allowed just nine goals.Which other teams could win it all?BYU: The selection committee apparently didnt think much of the West Coast Conference. Despite a WCC title, an RPI that was solidly in the top 10 throughout October and four wins out of conference against NCAA tournament teams (including three on the road), the Cougars got stuck with a No. 4 seed in South Carolinas part of the bracket and likely just a single home game in Provo. But a team with Ashley Hatch, Nadia Gomes, Michele Vasconcelos and the fifth highest-scoring offense in the nation could fit nicely in the spoiler role.Duke: We are just a year removed from the Blue Devils playing for a national title, and they once again start as a No. 3 seed. But where the team found its identity as a counterattacking force in the postseason last year, the current version cant quite seem to find its lane. It has been competitive in almost every game but rarely dominant (injuries to Kayla McCoy and Taylor Racioppi havent helped). But time -- and talent -- remain.Florida: No team made better use of its conference tournament than Florida, even if it came by the finest of margins. Florida outlasted Missouri 8-7 in an SEC tournament quarterfinal penalty shootout (after a late penalty save in regulation), upset South Carolina 1-0 in the semifinal and beat Arkansas in overtime in the final. Ranked No. 15 in the polls and No. 8 in the RPI entering that event, the Gators soared to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Loaded with young talent, the Gators might be a year away from their peak. But this is the last year they have senior forward Savannah Jordan, so they need to make it count.Florida State: The Seminoles have been difficult to break down the entire season and appear to be playing their best soccer of the year coming off an ACC tournament title. But the travel alone makes them a risky pick. If the seeds hold, Florida State would travel to Los Angeles for second- and third-round games, return for a quarterfinal at Florida (an annual rivalry game wiped out by inclement weather in the regular season) and then head back to California for the College Cup.USC: Although a loss to rival UCLA the final week of the regular season might have cost it a No. 1 seed, the bracket wasnt brutal to the Trojans. If they have to play Florida SState in what would be the marquee Sweet 16 matchup, at least it will be at home.dddddddddddd Much of the core of the team -- Morgan Andrews, Mandy Freeman, Katie Johnson, Savannah Levin, Kayla Mills and Sammy Jo Prudhomme -- are in their final season and play with the mental poise and tactical balance that suggests.What are the best first-round games?California at Pepperdine: Given the selection committees focus on geography, one of the surest bets in bracketing is that there will be a first-round game of second-round quality somewhere in the Pacific time zone. In this case, its the Pac-12 team sent on the road to play at Pepperdine, which enjoys a longstanding home-field advantage in Malibu. Thats a rough assignment for Cal, which had to be in the running for a national seed until two overtime losses down the stretch.Dayton at Ohio State: The team with one of the brackets worst records has the most momentum. Dayton entered the Atlantic-10 tournament with a losing record, then routed its three opponents by a combined 12-0 margin to secure the automatic bid. That included a 7-0 win over regular-season champion Saint Josephs. Flyers forward Alexis Kiehl was the first in the nation to reach 20 goals. Ohio State leads the all-time series 10-3-1 but could have its hands full here.Memphis at Arkansas: Both teams rank in the top 25 in scoring. That never hurts. Arkansas has the distinction of more all-time tournament appearances than losses, having compiled an impressive 3-1-1 record in its two trips (2013 and 2014). But Memphis has the best Canadian pipeline this side of West Virginia. Even without Marie Levasseur, called away to the U-20 World Cup, Valerie Sanderson and Jessica Lisi fuel an attack that will test the Razorbacks.South Alabama at No. 4 Auburn: Regular-season rematches in the first round are a bad idea, but at least South Alabama and Auburn played an original that was worthy of a sequel. The Tigers claimed a 1-0 overtime win in August, with the Jaguars forced to play the final 26 minutes with 10 players because of a red card to Charde Hannah. Auburn is a team with the potential to make a run behind Kristen Dodson and the Ramsier sisters, Brooke and Casie, but its a tricky first step.Will we see a star born this November?The U-20 World Cup siphoned some of the best young talent that might otherwise be playing in the NCAA tournament -- but only some. The players below are thriving as freshmen and could use Novembers stage to announce themselves to wider audiences.Bridgette Andrzejewski, No. 2 North Carolina: The list of first-team all-ACC honorees included 10 seniors (or beyond) and Andrzejewski. That isnt bad company for a freshman. Her team needed a goal scorer this season, and the tall, speedy Andrzejewski responded with nine. The Tar Heels had a great closing kick without her scoring, beating Florida State, Virginia and Notre Dame in succession. If she gets going again, the run might not stop until California.Deyna Castellanos, No. 3 Florida State: While some internationals are leaving for the U-20 World Cup, Castellanos is getting back from a wildly successful run with Venezuela in the U-17 World Cup. Both unafraid to and capable of shooting from just about anywhere inside of 30 yards, shes a creative, aggressive, attacking talent on a team loaded with defense.Jessie Fleming, No. 4 UCLA: Signee Mallory Pugh skipped the season to focus on the U-20 World Cup, but the Bruins are happy to have another emerging star with international experience. Not part of Canadas U-20 roster after proving her worth in the Olympics, Fleming will be around throughout the postseason. Without Darian Jenkins because of injury, she is all the more important to everything the Bruins do in pursuit of goals.Jennifer Westendorf, No. 2 Notre Dame: Although she has competed for Brazil at the U-20 level in the past, Westendorf will be with Notre Dame throughout the postseason. That is bad news for opposing goalkeepers, repeatedly left helpless by one of the freshmans wondrous free kicks. The question for the Fighting Irish is if they can score enough to complement a tenacious defense. On raw talent alone, Westendorf means there is a chance the answer might be yes.What about Georgetown?We havent even gotten to the second-seeded Hoyas yet, which seems unfair to the only team to beat West Virginia in the regular season. An NCAA tournament rookie less than a decade ago, Georgetown is making its fifth consecutive appearance under coach Dave Nolan -- and its first as a national seed.A year ago, the tournament offered Rutgers, a program with a similarly undistinguished history, a stage on which to show how far continuity and good defense could take a team. The answer turned out to be the College Cup. Substitute offense for defense, and the same opportunity awaits the Hoyas this season. In addition to scoring once against West Virginia, an impressive feat in its own right, Georgetown trails only BYU in goals per game among the 16 seeded teams (though it is also in the top 20 defensively). Grace Damaska, Rachel Corboz and Crystal Thomas, all upperclassmen, have combined for 33 goals and 18 assists.If this is as wide-open a season as the past three months suggest, there would be no better representative of it in San Jose than the Hoyas. ' ' '