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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Vic Beasley heard the grumbling. He was a wasted pick in the first round. He wasnt going to be able to play every down in the NFL.No ones talking that way anymore.Beasley has made a huge leap in his second season with Atlanta, giving the Falcons something they havent had in years: a fearsome pass rusher.He already has 10.5 sacks, ranking No. 2 in the league behind Denvers Von Miller. Its the most sacks by a Falcons player since John Abraham had 13 in 2010.Beasley wants more.Im not satisfied, he said this week, standing at his locker before practice. Theres more out there for me. I feel like Im just now grasping my potential.Beasley started every game as a rookie but hardly had the sort of impact the Falcons (7-5) were expecting when they drafted him No. 8 overall.At 6-foot-3 and 246 pounds, he was caught in between -- a bit too small to be a traditional defensive end, a bit too large to play outside linebacker. Some projected him as merely a situational player, coming in on obvious passing downs with the single-minded objective to get pressure on the quarterback.The Falcons, who are tied for first in the NFC South heading into Sundays game at Los Angeles against the Rams, thought he could be more. Coach Dan Quinn saw a hybrid player who would fit as an outside linebacker in the base defense, or was capable of lining up as a defensive end in the nickel package.It didnt happen right away. As a rookie, Beasley managed only four sacks on a team that had just 19 overall.Youve got to understand that youre brought here for a reason, he said. I didnt want to let one year get me down.Still, the criticism weighed on him. Beasley returned for Year 2 with a new drive and focus.Quinn noticed the change.Its the work ethic that, honestly, he came back with that set him off in terms of, `I want to go for it, the coach said. Those are the things that dont show up on the stat sheet.Beasley is more than just a pass rusher.As an undersized D-end, hes doing a good job in the run game, Quinn said. Hes light, but hes strong. Hes able to get his hands on guys and he can shed tight ends.It also helped that the Falcons brought in 15-year veteran Dwight Freeney, who has served as a mentor to Beasley and other young players on a defense that has started as many as four rookies.Hes shown an eagerness to learn, Freeney said of Beasley. Mentally, his football IQ is starting to grow, which tends to happen from a first-year to a second-year player. Hes starting to realize more. I try to help him out wherever I can.Beasleys first step is the thing that sets him apart. Hes so quick off the edge, its difficult for someone to block him alone. Offenses usually have to assign an extra blocker, or at least hope the tight end can get a bit a piece of Beasley to slow him down.I come off the ball pretty well, he said. Some things they can teach you. Some things are just God-given.After recording only one sack in the first four games, Beasley had a breakout performance at Denver with 3.5 sacks -- nearly matching the total for his entire career to that point.Since then, hes had two more multi-sack games.Yep, the Falcons do have a pass rusher.Finally.Hes in a good place, Quinn said. Mentally with his game, in his preparation, in his routine, hes really locked in.Game notesThe Falcons announced a four-year contract extension for CB Robert Alford. Quinn said the team wants to work out a similar deal with its best corner, Desmond Trufant, who is out for the year with a pectoral injury. Tru totally embodies all the things were looking for, the coach said. Were hopeful that hell be with it for the long term as well. ... WR Julio Jones (turf toe), OT Jake Mattews (knee) and WR Mohamed Sanu (groin) missed another day of practice. Quinn said Jones would do some light drills and hoped to get limited reps on Friday.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLAir Max 720 Scontate . 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. Air Max Scontate Uomo . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. http://www.airmaxoutletscontate.it/ . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Air Max Scontatissime . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. Air Max 95 Italia . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria is in the starting lineup one day after hurting his right hand.Longoria was hit by a pitch from Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez in the first inning on Monday. 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