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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Devin Smith has had 10 months to think.About life. About football. About his future.The New York Jets wide receiver has been sidelined since last December with a knee injury that cut short his rookie season -- and threw his career into uncertainty.Really, you just realize that this game can be taken away from you, Smith said. It was taken away from me for a couple of months. It sat me down, man.Smith is inching closer to a return to the game he has missed. He spent the first six weeks of the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list and is eligible to begin practicing next week.The Jets would have 21 days from the day Smith first practices to activate him to the 53-man roster or place him on season-ending injured reserve.I havent done any football in about nine months, so its been a long time coming, Smith said. I cant wait. It has seemed very, very long.Smith was a second-round pick out of Ohio State last year, a speedster with terrific athleticism, as evidenced by his eye-popping one-handed touchdown catch against Miami of Ohio in 2012 -- long before Odell Beckham Jr. made those acrobatic types of grabs a routine sight in the NFL.The Jets drafted him with the hope that he would provide a field-stretching element to the offense. But Smith injured a lung and a few ribs in training camp, sidelining him for several weeks. Once he returned, he struggled through the ups and downs of life as a rookie, trying to find his place on the team.Against Tennessee on Dec. 12, 2015, Smith was covering a punt in the third quarter when his right knee gave out. He was carted off the field and found out a short time later his season was done because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament.He finished with just nine catches for 115 yards and a touchdown -- and plenty of disappointment.A humbled Smith used the time since to re-evaluate himself while he was rehabbing, and his 16-month son Devin Jr. has had as big an impact on him as any coach or teammate.I got to watch him grow up a little bit and it really put some perspective to my life, Smith said. My little boy, its like he learns something new every day. Its such a blessing to watch him grow. And Im able to do what I do. Everythings all good.Smith is getting better at just the right time as the Jets receiving corps took a major hit when Eric Decker was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. After Brandon Marshall and Quincy Enunwa, New York will have to rely on several inexperienced players , including rookies Robby Anderson, Jalin Marshall and Charone Peake.I just cant wait to come back and do whatever I can to just help this team, Smith said. Were down a couple of wide receivers, so adding me in, I think would just be good for all of us.Smith said he has been running and cutting every day, and his knee has felt good. He doesnt think he has any limitations at this point and just needs to work his way back into game shape.In terms of practicing and doing some individual (drills) and getting my feet wet again, Im looking forward to that, and I feel I will be able to do that, he said. In terms of playing in a game or how much playing time Id get, Im going to leave that up to the coaches.After a lost rookie season, Smith seemed a bit of an afterthought during training camp because of the uncertainty surrounding his knee and the influx of young receivers.Smith never doubted hed be back, though, even if people outside the facility were writing him off.Thats really kind of how its been ever since I was in high school, said Smith, who was a football, track and basketball star while growing up in Massillon, Ohio. Everybody forgot about me and I burst on the scene. Its nothing new to me. Im just sticking to the script and staying focused, and Ill do what Ive got to do.Coach Todd Bowles said hes hopeful Smith will be able to get back in pads in the next couple of weeks.Smith will just be happy not having to watch games on TV, instead of the sideline, and wishing he could make a play.Its been very tough to watch the team take a couple of Ls and stuff like that, he said. During the preseason, when I was on the sideline, I would feel like my heart would race. I was just so anxious to get back out there. Its really tough just seeing your team not doing so well and you cant even be out there to try to do something to help the team.Thats what Im looking forward to the most, me being back with everybody and helping.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Terry Rozier Jersey . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Malik Monk Jersey . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. https://www.cheaphornets.com/515l-p-j-brown-jersey-hornets.html . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Dwayne Bacon Jersey . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Vlade Divac Jersey . 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. MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlads reverence for Terry Ryan has been evident for almost two decades, steadfastly supporting his general manager with a commitment uncommon in todays game.As the struggles on the field piled up over the last five years, even that enduring respect wasnt enough to keep Ryan with the Twins.Ryan was fired on Monday with the team holding the worst record in the American League and on pace to lose 100 games. The Twins entered the day 33-58, 21 games out of first place in the AL Central. Only Atlanta had a worse record in the majors.Sometimes you may have to do things that are hard, Pohlad said. I never try to shy away from hard decisions. I own this decision. We like to bring people from within up the organization. If we have to go outside we go outside. Theres new ways of thinking. Theyre not tied into old organizational ways of thinking.Ryan said he is leaving with immense pride in being part of the Twins organization for the better part of three decades.Rob Antony, in his 29th season with the organization and ninth as the teams assistant general manager, will take over on an interim basis. Pohlad said he would be considered for the permanent job.Antony became a bit emotional when talking about Ryan before Minnesotas game Monday night at Detroit.Itll be fine as long as nobody asks me what he means to me, Antony said. Its been tough. Worked with the man for 20 years and have nothing but respect for him, and hes been a mentor, hes been like a second dad for me. So its been a tough day for a lot of people.Twins star Joe Mauer echoed that sentiment in the clubhouse.You always knew where you stood with him. Very honest, direct. He had a lot of qualities that I tried to pattern myself after, Mauer said. Theres a lot of emotions going through me right now. Its a tough day.Pohlad said he informed Ryan about a month ago that he would not be coming back in 2017. After some contemplation, Ryan told Pohlad on Friday after the All-Star break that they should make the move now.Whoever leads the baseball operations will have the teams full support to make whatever changes are deemed necessary -- except one. Pohlad said manager Paul Molitor will return in 2017.I want to keep doing this, Molitor said. I want to help try to be part of the solution of our team getting better and finding a way to do some things that we havent been able to do here for quite a while.Pohlad said the Twins might bring in a search firm to help identify GM candidates outside the organization as well, with the goal of hiring someone before the season ends. For now, Antony has full power to make trades and moves up through the trade deadline in two weeks.One of the most respected figgures in baseball, Ryan spent two stints as general manager of the Twins, taking over in September 1994 and helping the franchise eventually become one of the models for small-market success in the early 2000s.dddddddddddd He helped build one of baseballs strongest farm systems and made several shrewd trades that turned the Twins into a team that won four AL Central tiles in five seasons.Im grateful for the leadership opportunities provided by the Pohlad family, he said. The collaboration and talents of my colleagues in the front office; the hard work and dedication of our manager, coaches and clubhouse personnel; the commitment and professionalism of our players; the passion and attention to detail of our minor league staff and scouts; and most importantly, the incredible support of our fans.Ryan stepped down after the 2007 season but returned in November 2011 after hand-picked successor Bill Smith could not continue the teams success.The Twins are in the middle of their fifth losing season in the last six years, and a 2015 season that saw them return to contention proved not to be enough when the team sank to the bottom of the AL this summer.I think we maybe relied and depended too much on some young players, that they were going to be able to take that next step, and they werent able to, and some of our veteran players got off to a tough start the first month or two, Antony said. When you put those two things together, thats tough.Ryan handed out big money to pitchers Ervin Santana, Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes in an effort to address the teams biggest weakness in the starting rotation, but all have been disappointments this year.The decisions to sign South Korean slugger Byung-Ho Park, keep veteran third baseman Trevor Plouffe this offseason and move promising youngster Miguel Sano from third base to right field all proved ill-fated. Sano was injured while playing the outfield and is back at third base, Plouffe is on the disabled list and his trade value has been diminished, and Park has been sent to Triple-A to try to ease his transition to the United States.The midseason firing is a highly uncharacteristic move by the Pohlad family, long known in baseball circles for loyalty and continuity. Jim Pohlad has made no secret of his admiration for Ryan, saying as late as last year that the GM could hold his post for as long as he wanted.Maybe the light should have gone on earlier, Pohlad said. But the light went on and we need to look at our organization and the way we do things.---AP Baseball Writer Noah Trister in Detroit contributed to this report. ' ' '