TAMPA, Fla. -- Adam Humphries walked off the practice field, drenched in sweat, and greeted word that hes quietly worked his way into a prominent role in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense with a blank stare.The second-year receiver entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent out of Clemson and is making the most of an opportunity to establish himself as a viable target for Jameis Winston.Winston threw for 4,042 yards and 22 touchdowns as a rookie in 2015, however the Bucs got limited production from the wide receiver position beyond Mike Evans 74 catches for 1,206 yards and three TDs.Knee injuries that kept six-time 1,000-yard receiver Vincent Jackson out of six games and sidelined experienced backup Louis Murphy the final 10 weeks of last season were part of the reason.With Murphy still out, Humphries continues to impress coach Dirk Koetter and has emerged from a pack of young players that also includes Kenny Bell, Russell Shepard, Evan Spencer, Freddie Martino and Donteea Dye Jr., to become the No. 3 receiver behind Evans and Jackson, who appears to be healthy again.Lets just end the big mystery about this No. 3 wide receiver, OK? Adam Humphries is going to be our No. 3 three wide receiver, Koetter, the teams offensive coordinator a year ago, said.You talk about the definition of consistent player, theres Adam Humphriess picture right there, Koetter added. Adams going to be our slot receiver, and then the battle for four, five, six and beyond, theres some really good competition.Humphries appeared in 12 games as a rookie, finishing with 27 receptions for 260 yards and one TD, third among Tampa Bay wide receivers behind Evans and Jackson, who had 33 catches for 543 yards and three TDs to end his streak of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons at four.The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Humphries, undrafted after starting 27 of 53 games he appeared in at Clemson, learned about Koetters decision through reporters.The receiver barely reacted to the news, noting its early in training camp and still a lot of work to do.Obviously, thats good to hear from the head man, but got to keep the edge and keep working hard every day. Ive got to earn the spot every day, no matter what he says, Humphries said. I can mess up or I can keep getting better.Winston, whose first NFL pass -- intended for Humphries -- was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Tennessees Coty Sensabaugh, said Humphries has earned the slot receiver spot.Im not surprised by it at all. Adam is a great player for us. Hes a third-down machine, the No. 1 overall pick in last years draft said.Hes had a great camp and last year he was one of my best targets, Winston added. You think about the first play of the year, me and that guy bounced back from that quickly and had a great season together.Evans, a third-year pro coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, agreed.He brings a lot, Evans said. Hes versatile. He can play inside and out. Hes tough. He goes hard every play ... is a sure-handed guy, and he knows how to get open.Winston noted Humphries consistency and ability to shrug off bad plays was big, too. That brought a slight smile to the receivers face.Yeah, thats the biggest thing ... having a short memory. And, if you do mess up you can learn from that, correct it and get better, Humphries said. Mistakes are good sometimes, especially during camp. Everyone is going to mess up. Youve got to take positives away from that and keep getting better.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFLGary Trent Jr. Blazers Jersey . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Portland Trail Blazers Jerseys .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Zach-Collins-Blazers-Jersey/ . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. Bill Walton Blazers Jersey . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed.HOUSTON -- Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez ended a tough stretch in emphatic fashion Wednesday.Martinez took a no-hitter into the sixth, Jeremy Hazelbaker and Brandon Moss hit home runs and St. Louis beat the Houston Astros 8-2.Martinez (11-7) pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, allowing a run while striking out seven. He retired 15 of the first 16 batters before giving up a leadoff double to Teoscar Hernandez in the sixth.Martinez had allowed 14 runs over his previous three starts.Hes been impressive, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. I enjoy watching guys improve. When you see him pitch like that and maintain like that, thats improvement.Martinez leads St. Louis pitchers with 11 starts of seven or more innings.Every day I go out on the hill focused on my work and ready to go through nine innings hopefully, Martinez said. Some days theres bad days, some days theres good days like today. I stayed focused and I felt really good. I feel like its just part of the game and I went out and did the best I could.The Cardinals have won four straight and have a slim lead for the second NL wild-card spot over the Pirates and Marlins.St. Louis is averaging 7.5 runs per game during this winning streak and began its offensive frenzy Wednesday in the third inning against starter Doug Fister.Eight Cardinals batted in the three-run third, highlighted by Stephen Piscottys two-run single and Yadier Molinas RBI double.Hazelbaker bashed a 3-2 pitch from Fister in the fourth for his first home run since July 29. Moss blew it open in the seventh with a three-run homer off Tony Sipp.Moss has four home runs in the last six games and leads the Cardinals with 22 homers in just 281 at-bats. Its a nice resurgence for the 32-year-old, who hit .250 with four homers in 51 games last season after being acquired from Cleveland in July.Seems like everybody discounted everything he did before he got to us, Matheny said. That was a bunch of homers. Then he comes over smoking the ball and not getting anyything for it.dddddddddddd You could just see where he was trending and where he continues to trend. This guys got legitimate big power.St. Louis has 49 home runs since the All-Star break to lead the National League.Its good were just having good approaches and obviously were having success at the plate, Hazelbaker said. It comes from preparation and just knowing what were capable of and just being prepared every at-bat.Fister (11-8) gave up four runs, seven hits and a walk while striking three in four innings.It was a disappointing day, Fister said. Any loss is a tough loss to swallow. I felt good today. I felt strong, I felt in control, but they put a few good swings on balls, and the ball bounced their way today.Fister has allowed four or more runs five times in his past 10 starts after reaching that mark once in his first 14 outings this season.Alex Bregman drove in Hernandez with a single in the sixth. The rookie has seven RBI in the last 11 games and is batting .312 in that time.Houston has been outscored 29-11 during a four-game losing streak and surrendered eight or more runs in three straight games for the first time this season.The rollercoaster ride that weve been on is no fun when were in this portion of it, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. This game will test your character, itll test your resolve, itll test your ability to come back from adversity and this is another test for us. Weve got the better part of six weeks left in the regular season, and we need to compile some wins.UP NEXTCardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (9-7, 4.72 ERA) starts against Philadelphia on Friday. Wainwright is looking for his eighth season with 10 or more wins and needs four to tie Dizzy Dean (134) on the Cardinals career list.Astros: RHP Joe Musgrove (1-0, 1.47 ERA) starts against Baltimore on Thursday after getting his first major league win against Toronto on Friday. ' ' '
