DENVER -- After watching Kansas City Chiefs rookie Tyreek Hill speed into the end zone on a return, a rush and a reception last month, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak decided to give his own dashing dynamo a chance.He promoted practice squad receiver/returner Kalif Raymond, a former sprinter from Holy Cross, to the active roster. Raymond quickly supplanted punt returner Jordan Norwood, who had two muffs in the Broncos overtime loss to the Chiefs.In Raymond, a 5-foot-9, 160-pounder who ran in the mid-4.3 range as a guest at Harvards pro day, the Broncos hope theyve found their own fireball like the Chiefs have in Hill, the Seahawks boast in Tyler Lockett or the Falcons flaunt in Taylor Gabriel .All of these players give opponents headaches, and Kubiak said Raymond could soon join their ranks.Kalifs only played a couple of NFL games, but youll see him doing some other things, Kubiak said.For now, Raymond is trying to make his mark on special teams, where hes averaged 10.2 yards on six punt returns and is still itching to bring a kickoff out of the end zone.In the last two games weve had three returns over 20 yards, which we didnt have before, Broncos special teams coach Joe DeCamillis said. We ended up getting two balls over the 50 and a ball at the plus-25 going in. Thats what were looking for, short fields.From another undersized player overlooked by so many college recruiters and NFL scouts.Theyre different body types, these burners. Raymond is similar to Gabriel (5-8, 166 pounds). Lockett is 5-11 but weighs just 170. Hill packs a hefty 185 pounds on his 5-foot-10 frame.What binds them together is their blazing speed and relatively small size.Raymond went undrafted, as did Gabriel, who has five touchdowns in his first season in Atlanta after two years in Cleveland.Hill, who wasnt taken until the fifth round, has nine TDs this season, six receiving, one rushing, one on a punt return and one on a kickoff. Lockett scored six times as a rookie after the Seahawks selected him in the third round out of Kansas State. He was slowed by a knee injury in Week 2 this season and only returned to form this month, scoring his first touchdown on a 57-yard reception in Seattles 24-3 win over the Rams.I think I finally got to hit that extra gear that Ive been waiting on and some of my teammates have been waiting on because Doug (Baldwin) thinks hes faster than me. He said after that play that he doesnt think he can run with me anymore, Lockett said.These petite players are used to being overlooked but theyre not overwhelmed, their performances and impact anything but paltry.You see the things Tyreek Hill is doing. He is doing a lot of great things. You see what Odell (Beckham Jr.) is doing. Antonio Brown. T.Y. Hilton, Lockett said. There are so many people that are out here doing so many great things and they dont have the height the NFL thought receivers were supposed to have. You cant really put a limit on a player.Lockett said his dad always told him his future wasnt as a receiver but a football player, a playmaker with the ball in your hands.Every NFL team has players who are undersized. The very fact they made the roster shows they have a multitude of skills that make up for their lack of height.As Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson once put it, A smaller guy has to have something different because this is a big guys league. For one thing, theyve got to be tough. For another, theyve got to be quick. Slow, little guys arent going to make it in this league.Both tough and quick, Raymond said his smaller size is actually an advantage.I like to think I play with a chip on my shoulder and a lot of that chip comes from my size, Raymond said. Theres a certain look that a guy gives you when youre smaller than he is and when I recognize that look, Im trying to throw everything I have at him. So, throughout my years of playing football Ive developed that likeness to get hit and show people that I can hit. So, when I get hit, its like nothing to me.Denver cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who covered Raymond in the slot on the scout team for the first three months of the season and has watched his progress firsthand, said he sees Raymond as the leagues next small guy making a big impact.His quickness and his speed are off the charts, Harris said. Hes learning how to get separation. He just has to take a punt return back. He has to do something. Thats how Hill and Lockett got out there and got their roles expanded.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---AP Sports Writer Tim Booth in Seattle contributed.---Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton Clearance Shoes Canada . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Ecco Shoes Canada . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. http://www.discounteccocanada.com/ . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. Ecco Shoes Canada From China . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. Cheap Ecco Shoes Canada . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Despite the carnage, defiant Essendon chairman Lindsay Tanner has hailed their AFL season a character test that they passed with flying colours.The Bombers continue to reel from the aftershocks of their supplements debacle, with Jobe Watson losing his 2012 Brownlow Medal.A few hours after the AFL Commission made that landmark ruling on Tuesday, Essendon announced a whopping financial loss of $9.8 million.The Bombers say the doping suspensions handed down in January were an overwhelming factor in the financial disaster.Essendon lost 12 players to doping bans this season, including Watson, and finished last for the first time since 1933.But Tanner said there is still much that Essendon can take heart from as they try to recover.We havent turned on each other, we havent been distracted by the temptation to publicly re-fight the Court of Arbitration for Sport decision, outrageous though it may have been, Tanner said in the clubs annual report.Weve turned up to support our team, and still recorded strong attendance levels and membership numbers.2016 has been an enormous character test for Essendon and we havee passed that test with flying colours.ddddddddddddTanner added that regardless of their tough circumstances, the Bombers must not assume that their recovery is guaranteed.It takes more than character to win games and premierships. Our comeback is only just getting started, he said.We must guard against the sense of entitlement and complacency that seeps into many successful organisations.Essendon chief executive Xavier Campbell also said in the annual report that the worst is nearly over for the club.For so long we have asked each other when will the time arrive where we can attend a game free from the stress of off-fieldissues? Well, the storm is passing, the clouds have almost lifted, Campbell said.The smiles and joy that were constants when we fell in love with this club are returning.Our players are as committed as they ever have been. There will continue to be ups and downs but we can take pride in the knowledge that adversity has only made the Essendon family stronger. ' ' '