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TROY, Ala. -- The Troy Trojans enter Phase 2 of Neal Browns bid to restore the program to Sun Belt Conference contention once again leaning heavily on an improving defense and quarterback Brandon Silvers.Theyre trying to make strides from Browns 4-8 debut season that included several close losses to Sun Belt opponents.Were a more confident team, Brown said. They know what to expect now. There were so many firsts and so many unknowns last year going into the year with myself and the new coaching staff. Were a better football team. Now, weve got to go out and show it.The Trojans havent had a winning season since 2010, when their run of five straight league titles ended.A defense that was one of the nations worst two years ago yielded 63 fewer yards per game last season, and figures to be the teams strength again.The Trojans are picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt (tied with Louisiana-Lafayette). Theyre led by Silvers, a 23-game starter in his first two seasons, and two preseason all-conference picks, defensive end Rashad Dillard and left tackle Antonio Garcia.An unproven group of receivers and uncertain tailback situation mean the offense might need time to hit its stride.Were going to have to be a team thats built on defense early, Brown said. Our defense is going to have to carry us early as we evolve offensively.KEY GAMES: Oct. 20 at South Alabama, Nov. 12 Appalachian State; Dec. 3 at Georgia Southern.SEASON OPENER: The Trojans open with Austin Peay on Sept. 3 before visiting Clemson and Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson.BACKFIELD: Jordan Chunn and Andre Flakes are the leading candidates to replace tailback Brandon Burks, who got most of the carries last season. Flakes was the backup in 2015 while Chunn topped 1,000 yards combined in his first two years but missed most of last season with an injury.JUNIORS ADDITION: The Trojans added defensive end Junior Gnonkonde, a graduate transfer who was recruited to North Carolina by Troy defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder had 97 tackles during his career in Chapel Hill. Were going to put him on the front of the bus so he gets off first, Koenning said.PREDICTION: The Trojans are picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt, along with Louisiana-Lafayette. A .500 record or better wouldnt be a big surprise.Myydään Yeezy Boost 350 V2 . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. Adidas Prophere Kengät . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. http://www.nmdhalvalla.com/adidas-falcon-halvalla.html . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Adidas Gazelle Kengät . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Adidas Falcon Ale . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No.SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- After spending nearly two weeks only lining up against teammates, the San Francisco 49ers are looking forward to the opportunity to hit someone else for a change.The Niners will hold a joint practice on Friday with the Houston Texans before the two teams open the exhibition season two days later at Levis Stadium.While these sessions often come with increased intensity and occasional fights, 49ers coach Chip Kelly said he does not believe his players will cross any lines.They understand that you have to play with emotion, not let emotion play with you, Kelly said. Its the same rules that you have in a game. If you get in a fight in a game, youre not going to be around. So, its the same thing. Were trying to get a good quality practice. Were not trying to turn it into a WWE wrestling match.That has not always been the case. Two years ago, the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys got into a few scuffles in a joint practice in Oxnard that spilled over into the fans on the side of the field. One Raiders fan even tried to hit a Dallas defender with a replica helmet.Niners rookie guard Joshua Garnett said its important to strike a balance between being aggressive and physical, while staying under control.You hope people are not too sensitive, he said. Youre going to go after them and theyre going to go after you. You want to be the guy dealing the blow and not be that guy who gets caught not going harder than your opponent. You always want to be that guy setting the tempo but keep it under control and play with poise and not get out of control with your emotions.Kelly is a proponent of joint practices, having done them a few times during his tenure in Philadelphia. The 49ers will hold another joint practice nextt week in Denver before taking on the Broncos in their second exhibition game.ddddddddddddI think its always good, Kelly said. Its a great way to gauge yourself. Ive done it in the past a couple times with the Patriots and once with the Ravens. We thought it was quality work in the three years that we did it.The sessions require some pre-planning with head coaches coordinating schedules and offensive and defensive coordinators trading ideas and scripts to make sure the practices go as smoothly as possible.Kelly said he has spent a lot of time talking to Texans coach Bill OBrien about how the sessions will go. The coordinators for both teams also have been involved, with Niners offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins trading ideas with Texans defensive head Romeo Crennel and defensive coordinator Jim ONeil doing the same with Houston offensive coordinator George Godsey.ONeil said he and Godsey have talked about whether there are any different looks they would like to see Friday in practice that they arent able to see as much when they go up against their own teams.For us defensively, its going to be huge just from a player evaluation standpoint and then its a totally different offensive scheme, ONeil said. Itll be a lot more two-back formations, stuff we need to see to get ready for the season. So, itll be a big test for our defense.Game notesQB Colin Kaepernick only took mental reps at practice Thursday in what the team described as a planned rest day. ... DL Arik Armstead returned to team drills after sitting out earlier this week.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '