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DAVIE [url=http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/michael-dickson-jersey-authentic]Youth Michael Dickson Jersey[/url] , Fla. (AP) Last year it often seemed Miami Dolphins rookie defensive end Charles Harris didn’t have a prayer to reach the quarterback, and now he does.

The first-round draft pick from Missouri turned to his faith to shake the funk he found himself in last season when he totaled two sacks, which tied for 156th in the NFL.

”As a rookie, I was in a dark place,” he says. ”Now I’m cool. I understand grace.”

Harris says he’s optimistic he’ll fulfill his potential this season, and a week into training camp, so are the Dolphins.

”I actually think Charles Harris has probably had the best offseason of anybody on our team,” four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake says. ”He came back in tremendous shape. He has obviously been working on his strength; he has been working on his football. I think that’s definitely going to pay off when it comes time to put in the live bullets and get after the quarterback.”

Coach Adam Gase repeatedly defended Harris last season, saying the rookie was more disruptive than statistics would suggest. But the Dolphins were hoping for a bigger impact from the No. 22 overall pick in the draft.

Harris says off-the-field issues complicated his adjustment to the NFL. The Kansas City native says he struggled with the move to South Florida, and with the sudden wealth that accompanies a $6 million signing bonus.

”There was a lot of confusion,” he says. ”This offseason I just prayed a lot, prayed about my lifestyle, prayed about things off the field. Just like Revelation, I asked God for Solomon-like wisdom, and he blessed me with it. … I’m using my talents and not burying them. Last season I buried them.”

Dolphins defensive end Andre Branch, a second-round draft pick in 2012, says he can see the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Harris beginning to blossom.

”He’s a monster,” Branch says. ”He has always had talent, but it takes time. He was a rookie coming into a program where he’s expected to do a lot. He’s a high draft pick. I’ve been there. There are a lot of things on your shoulders [url=http://www.officialmapleleafsproshop.com/authentic-adidas-nazem-kadri-jersey]Nazem Kadri Jersey[/url] , and you’re young. You have no clue what to do and who to go to. But he’s coming into his own.”

Harris plays the deepest position on the roster. Along with Wake and Branch, two-time Pro Bowler Robert Quinn and veteran William Hayes are expected to be part of the rotation.

More pressure on the quarterback is mandatory if the Dolphins are to improve on last year’s 6-10 record. They had 30 sacks last season, the team’s lowest total in a decade, which is a big reason they gave up more points than all but three other teams.

Harris says he’s spending camp perfecting two or three pass-rush moves, preferring to polish them rather than add more that he doesn’t do as well.

Wake and Quinn make for great mentors, he says, because their styles are so different.

”They’re two different varieties,” Harris says. ”I’ve got a power rusher and a finesse rusher at the same time. I feel like I can combine both of them and be one of the greatest.”

Gase is encouraged by what he has seen lately from Harris, but taps the brakes on any soaring expectations, noting limitations on contact make it difficult to evaluate defensive linemen during practice.

”For me it’s hard sometimes, because we’re asking these guys to stay away from the quarterback,” Gase says. ”Once we hit real games, then that’s going to be easier for us to say, `OK, here’s where we’re at with his development, and where do we need to go next?”’

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HOUSTON — At first blush the Minnesota Timberwolves got what they wanted in Game 1 on Sunday, limiting the Houston Rockets to a substandard shooting performance from the perimeter after being overrun by a hail of 3-pointers while being dismantled in all four regular-season meetings.

But what went wrong proved costly for Minnesota. Despite the sound strategy of running multiple bodies in the direction of Rockets All-Star guard James Harden, the Timberwolves’ defense resembled a sieve as Harden produced 44 points and eight assists in a 104-101 victory.

If the Timberwolves can again harass Houston into 10-for-37 shooting from behind the arc on Wednesday at Toyota Center in Game 2 of this Western Conference first-round playoff series, they will have met one of their primary objectives. However, preventing Harden from torching their defense is a game plan that must be executed in concert with blanketing the 3-point line.

“It’s got to be a lot better [url=http://www.officialsenators.com/authentic-adidas-chris-wideman-jersey]Chris Wideman Jersey[/url] ,” said Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler, who drew the primary assignment on Harden. “I’ve got to do my job more effectively. What do you want: a free throw, a 3-pointer, a layup? He got whatever he wanted in that game and I’ve got to be better at taking it away.

“He’s a (heck) of a player; everybody knows that. But you don’t just guard him with one guy, it’s everybody out there. Everybody has to be in the correct position to challenge shots, contest him at the rim. If there is a miss we’ve got to get the rebound and take off the other way. But we didn’t do any of that. We’ve got to be better on Wednesday.”

Another goal for Minnesota is to unlock a method to better utilize the supreme talents of All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns on offense. Towns was second on the team in scoring during the regular season, averaging 21.3 points while attempting 14.3 shots per game. In the series opener, he tallied eight points on nine shots and was unable to take advantage of the situation when he occasionally worked against smaller defenders in the Rockets’ switch-oriented defense.

The Timberwolves nearly overcame Towns’ lack of production by relying on a multitude of contributors. Five players scored in double figures led by Andrew Wiggins‘ 18 points and the combined 28 points from the starting backcourt of Jeff Teague and Butler. Reserves Jamal Crawford and Derrick Rose totaled 31 points on 11-of-25 shooting to provide needed balance.

“The important thing is it’s not a one-on-one game, and so everyone has to understand that,” Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said. “If they’re going to double team that means it’s going to be easy for other people and if they’re going to switch we have to make the right reads. If we’re making the right play the game will tell you who’s going to get the shots. And as long as we take good shots then I think we’re going to score.”

Per usual, the Rockets shook off their poor shooting as an anomaly and relished their ability to thrive in the paint instead. Houston outpaced the bigger Timberwolves 54-44 on paint points with Harden feasting both on driving layups and pinpoint passes to center Clint Capela, who finished 10 of 15 for 24 points. Harden produced six layups or dunks and assisted on six more, fueling an offense often described as 3-point depended yet again proved versatile and efficient.

“I think every single night we take what the defense gives us,” Harden said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t knock down the 3-ball — Game 2 that will be different — but just getting to the basket, finishing, not only myself but Chris (Paul), Clint, the entire team. We’re not going to try to force anything. We’re going to take what they give us and have confidence in our shot. That’s all we’ve been doing and that’s the reason why we’re here.”