ANDERSON, Ind. -- Robert Mathis makes every word count. Every play, too.When teammates hear the Indianapolis Colts oldest starter bark out instructions or crack pads, they tune in. When they see Mathis hang out in Anderson Universitys dorms or hear him explain how privileged he feels to return each s

ANDERSON, Ind. -- Robert Mathis makes every word count. Every play, too.When teammates hear the Indianapolis Colts oldest starter bark out instructions or crack pads, they tune in. When they see Mathis hang out in Anderson Universitys dorms or hear him explain how privileged he feels to return each summer, they listen attentively. When they see Mathis take an occasional day off at training camp or run around with his kids after a practice, they realize he is no ordinary 35-year-old linebacker.He is as determined and passionate as he was the day he arrived at his first training camp in 2003.You have to work for everything you get, Mathis said. Anything worth having is worth being worked for.Mathis short, powerful messages have always resonated in the Colts locker room.Indy opened the 2012 season with a new coach, a new general manager, a rookie quarterback, and was ranked last in the NFLs projected power ratings. Mathis responded to the doubters on Twitter: I will not let you forget.Later that season, when things looked bleak and coach Chuck Pagano left the team to battle leukemia, Mathis rallied his teammates with another line: There are no pity parties in football.To Mathis, words and actions mean something.The 6-foot-2, 235-pound defensive end/outside linebacker from Alabama A&M is still motivated by the notion so many scouts wrote him off as too small, too slow and too untested against elite competition when he was coming out of college.Indy saw Mathis a different way. Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy was convinced Mathis could be the perfect complement to Dwight Freeney, so GM Bill Polian traded a future fourth-round pick to Houston for the third pick in Round 5 to snag Mathis.Fourteen years, one position change and 118 sacks later, the Atlanta native remains one of the most feared pass rushers in football when hes healthy.A year ago, he wasnt. It took the NFLs 2013 sacks champ almost half a season to regain his form after missing all of 2014 because of a suspension (performance enhancer) and a torn left Achilles tendon that required 10 surgeries and 12 months to fix. He wound up finishing 2015 with 24 tackles, seven sacks and a lot of momentum heading into this season.Robert is one of our best football players. Were going to have him on the football field as often as he can handle, new defensive coordinator Ted Monachino said. We arent keeping Robert back and we arent reining him in in any way.Mathis has never played the game that way, and hes certainly not going to start now.Yet the spry, six-time Pro Bowler also understands business. His contract expires after this season, and throughout his career in Indy, Mathis has watched longtime friends such as Freeney, Marvin Harrison, Peyton Manning, Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne all let go once the Colts deemed it financially or philosophically unfeasible to keep the aging stars.Mathis knows he could be next, though hes not giving any illusion of a decline.Rob is one of the hardest workers Ive been around, Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis said. He is going on his 14th year and it shows you his humbleness and how much he loves and respects the game.Now the Colts need Mathis than ever.He accounted for 20 percent of their 35 sacks last season, and after Indy used three of its eight draft picks on defensive players -- safety T.J. Green, inside linebacker Antonio Morrison and outside linebacker Trevor Bates -- the Colts are asking Mathis to put even more pressure on opposing quarterbacks as the coaches look for ways to help.And theres more at stake, too. He wants to add another Super Bowl ring, could crack the top 10 on the NFLs career sacks chart, and with one or two more really good seasons could even put himself in Hall of Fame consideration.A lot of media said I couldnt do it. I take a lot of pride in (proving them wrong), Mathis said with a laugh. I just appreciate the opportunity to be out there. It was a long road.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Vapormax 97 Bianche . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Vapormax BHM . 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. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. http://www.scarpevapormaxscontate.it/vapormax-hyper-punch-italia.html . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. Vapormax Flyknit 2 Scontate . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Vapormax Plus Reverse Sunset . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. OAKVILLE, Ontario -- David Hearn signed every hat, flag and ticket handed to him. He took off his sunglasses and put them behind his cap for every photo and asked the name of every young fan as he made his way off the 18th green at Glen Abbey on Wednesday at the Canadian Open pro-am.The PGA Tour regular from nearby Brantford takes the time because he remembers what it was like to be on the other side of the ropes.As a young kid I used to come to Canadian Opens and I remember waiting for a lot of golfers I admired, said Hearn, who looked up to Fred Couples, among others. I wouldve been so disappointed if none of them stopped to speak to me.Hearn finished third last year Canadian Open, two strokes behind winner Jason Day and a shot behind Bubba Watson. The Canadian caught fans attention with a 64 in the second round and had a two-shot lead after a third-round 68.A 72 and the solid play of Day and Watson in the fourth round put the PGA Tour win just beyond Hearns reach. Still, he remembers the ovation he got from Canadian fans as he approached the 18th tee.At the time I was just in the moment, Hearn said. But looking back, I hope I inspired some young golfers, some junior players across the country.Hearn believes that memorable moments like his near win last year at Glen Abbey or the upcoming Rio Olympics -- where he, Graham DeLaet, Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp will represent Canada -- are an opportunity to create new fans.Mike Weir also is playing this week at Glen Abbey and has seen the impact his Canadian Golf Hall of Fame career has already had on younger players.I know Graham DeLaet has talked abouut it, that I was somewhat of an inspiration for him, said Weir, who has eight career PGA Tour wins, including the 2003 Masters.dddddddddddd I guess when youre going along you just dont think about those kind of things but at the same time, hopefully, some of the younger guys can draw inspiration and know that you can be from a winter country a lot of the year and still make it.Hearn, Weir and DeLaet are the three biggest Canadian names playing at the tournament, but theyll be joined by over a dozen other players from across the country: Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor, Adam Cornelson, Corey Conners, Brad Fritsch, Dave Levesque, Branson Ferrier and amateurs Blair Hamilton, Hugo Bernanrd, Garrett Rank and Jared du Toit.Pat Fletcher, born in England, was the last Canadian winner in 1954 at Point Grey in Vancouver, British Columbia. Carl Keffer is the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914. Albert Murray, a Canadian also born in England, won in 1908 and 1913.The top-ranked Day is in the field along with U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson and past champions Brandt Snedeker (2013), Jim Furyk (2006, 2007), Sean OHair (2011), Carl Pettersson (2010), Chez Reavie (2008), and Vijay Singh (2004).Also Wednesday, the PGA Tour, Golf Canada and the Heritage Classic Foundation announced that RBC has signed six-year extensions as title sponsor of the Canadian Open and RBC Heritage, the event held in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The new agreements take effect in 2018 and run through 2023. ' ' '