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HOUSTON -- DeAndre Hopkins holdout has yet to change the perspective of Texans general manager Rick Smith, who says the club has made a firm decision not to negotiate with the wide receiver this season.Hopkins, who is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract, did not report to the start of Houstons training camp on Sunday. Hopkins is subject to fines of $40,000 for each day of camp he misses, and Smith confirmed that Hopkins is being fined for his absence.His actions are counterintuitive to any of the productive energy that is necessary for anything to get done, Smith said following the teams first training camp practice on Sunday morning.There are any number of factors that go into when or whether or not to extend a contract, Smith added. [Hopkins representatives] came to us this summer and talked to us about that. We contemplated and came to a decision and we communicated that decision to them, and told them it was a firm decision.Smith said the team was surprised by Hopkins choice to hold out.I didnt expect him to hold out, Smith said. It was a bit of a surprise. Hes made his point, and hopefully hell be back in camp soon. Hes under contract, so there isnt anything to get done other than him coming here.Hopkins was a first-round pick by Houston in 2013. The Texans extended their first-round picks in 2011 and 2012, J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus, as they entered their fourth seasons.We decided that this was not the right time for a number of reasons, Smith said of the teams decision not to give Hopkins an extension this year.Because the Texans picked up the fifth-year option on Hopkins contract in May, he has two seasons remaining on his deal. Hopkins also has a $445,000 roster bonus due on the fifth day of camp that he will miss out on if he hasnt returned.Smith said Sunday that the team remains in communication with Hopkins and is hopeful of his return.Were in constant communication, Smith said of his current relationship with Hopkins. I never negotiate in the media, and were not in a negotiation, and our conversations Ill keep between us. But its positive dialogue, and like I said, hes expressed himself. Weve been clear with him with respect to our position as well, and hopefully hell be in pretty soon.New starting quarterback Brock Osweiler said Sunday that he also continues to talk with Hopkins, his expected top receiver. Hopkins had 111 catches, 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns during the 2015 season while working with four different quarterbacks in Houston.DeAndre and I are definitely having communication among each other, Osweiler said. First of all, hes a great friend and a great teammate. Im going to be there to support him, but he has to handle his business with the team, and I need to focus on the guys that are here and ready to work.But certainly I support DeAndre, and whatever he has to do. And thats his business, between him and the team.Watt, who is currently on Houstons physically unable to perform list as he recovers from recent back surgery, said he understands Hopkins position.Im a player, so I advocate for players getting paid, Watt said on Sunday. If I was in the front office, Im sure my answer would be different. But Im a player, and I know that a career is short. And if he feels this is what he needs to do, then this is what he needs to do.Second-year receiver Jaelen Strong, rookie Will Fuller and veteran slot receiver Cecil Shorts received the majority of repetitions on Sunday with Osweiler and the first-team offense.We respect DeAndre and his abilities and his contributions to our football team, and his future contributions to our football team, Smith said. But hes not here.Were here, were working, and our football team had a good day today. Thats where our focus is. Custom Baltimore Orioles Jerseys Cheap .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. Custom Atlanta Braves Jerseys Cheap . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. 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NASSAU, Bahamas -- At precisely 1:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, you could sense it was happening again.Not just from the modest gallery here at the Hero World Challenge, which roared with approval as Tiger Woods holed a greenside bunker shot for his fourth birdie in five holes. No, it was bigger than that. The energy, the electricity. It was emanating from all directions.For the third time in three days, Woods was whipping the masses into a frenzy, evoking memories of the old Tigermania days, when the mere sight of his name on a leaderboard would captivate that ever-expanding audience. He pummeled drives deep down the fairways. He rolled in birdie putts with the greatest of ease.For the second time in those three days, though, the frenzy dissipated just as quickly as it had blossomed.Woods parlayed a 4-under front nine into just a 2-under 70 that concluded with a double-bogey after he found the water hazard with his second shot on the final hole. It mirrored his opening round of two days earlier -- his first competitive round in 466 days -- when he turned a 3-under front nine into a 1-over 73 by making doubles on two of the last three holes.The immediate reaction might be to criticize Woods for these struggles down the stretch. After all, he has spent so much of the past three days looking eerily similar to the player who has won 14 major championships that its easy to forget just how rusty hes supposed to be.Of course, any critical analysis of Woods performance this week is a point severely missed. This is a man who a year ago believed his playing career might be over, a man who just seven weeks ago postponed his scheduled return to competition because he deemed his game too vulnerable.Those masses might have been intrigued about Woods return and just how much success he could have right away, but nobody was as curious as Woods.When asked after the third round whether he has already exceeded his own expectations, he admitted to not setting any tangible goals for the week.To be honest with you, I didnt really have much, because I didnt know, he explained. I hadnt played in a very long time, and I didnt knoww what I was going to feel like after each round.dddddddddddd I didnt know what kind of lies on the draw, Id probably hit some bad shots into some of these bushes. What happened to [Justin Rose, who withdrew with a back injury] could have easily happened to me. A lot of things. I dont know. I didnt know coming in.Oh, he talked a good game. In his pretournament interview session with the assembled media, Woods reverted to his old form and suggested that anything less than a win would be a disappointment.Winning, though, was never going to be the theme for this week. As it stands, Woods is 11 strokes behind leader Hideki Matsuyama, who appears to be running away with the title.Doesnt matter. This week is going to be considered an enormous success for Woods, whether he climbs into the top-5 by the end of Sundays final round or drops into the lower-third of this 17-man field.He hasnt shown any visible pain from those three back surgeries which kept him sidelined for so long. His swing has looked both controlled and powerful. His putting stroke, armed once again with the Scotty Cameron flatstick that won him 13 of those 14 majors, looks smooth and confident. He has carded 19 birdies -- more than one-third of the holes he has played.All of which should be considered a win as he heads toward one more round and takes that momentum into the 2017 campaign.Im very pleased to be back and to be able to compete at this level again, Woods said. Its been a very, very difficult road. You guys [in the media] were all here last year, and I did not feel very good. I was really, really struggling, and I struggled for a very long time. Worked with my physios and had to be very patient and was finally able to start building -- and here we are.Where he is isnt where he wants to be. Not yet, at least.The competitor in Woods wants to win tournaments again, regaining his prominence among the worlds best players. The realist in him, though, understands that this was never going to happen immediately. ' ' '