ST. LOUIS - Tre Mason averaged just 2.5 yards per carry last week. A critical lost fumble hurt the most for the St. Louis Rams rookie running back, and he is looking for a bounce-back game against the New York Giants.Rams coach Jeff Fisher is confident his young back can return to the form that earned him the starting job.Hes been productive but as coaches, we tend to remember the things, the problems, you know the fumble thing, Fisher said Friday after practice. But I mean hes explosive. Hes shown hes got that speed to go the distance. Hes a highly emotional, energetic back whos been fun to watch.Mason, a third-round pick from Auburn, was inactive the first four games of the season. He has started the last six games and leads the Rams with 155 carries and 661 yards.However, in the 12-6 loss to Arizona, Mason managed just 33 yards on 13 carries. His 2.5 yards per attempt is the fewest Mason has averaged in any game so far this season.He also lost the first fumble of his professional career, late in the first quarter. Larry Foote recovered it at the St. Louis 27, leading to the first of four field goals for Arizonas Chandler Catanzaro.If he was hanging onto it, it wouldnt have come out, Fisher said. If he held the ball tightly it wouldnt have come out. He didnt see the defender. He was caught off guard.Mason did not duck responsibility for putting the ball on the turf.I always say theres no excuse, no matter how it happens, how it happens, for a running back to put the ball on the ground, Mason said. Theres no excuse. Like any running back would do, you try to situate the ball. Youve got to situate the ball. I saw the hole open and I made a cut without the ball pretty much.Ill never give an excuse for a fumble no matter how it happened. Thats my job as a running back to hold on to the ball.Rams offensive co-ordinator Brian Schottenheimer believes Mason is more focused on ball security.I think hes a real prideful guy. I think he was disappointed as anybody that it came out, Schottenheimer said. Hes been really, really good. I think hes just excited to go out and bounce back like we all are. We expect him to perform well.Mason may have that opportunity against New York. The Giants give up 135 yards rushing a game.Playing at home, Mason has been at his best. In the Week 13 win over Oakland, Mason scored three touchdowns, including an 89-yard run that is the second-longest in team history. It was also his second 100-yard game when he finished with 117 yards. He also caught the ball for another 47 yards in the game.Mason gained 113 yards on 29 carries in the Rams win over Denver in Week 11. Making that performance more impressive is the fact Denver entered the game with the NFLs top-ranked run defence.Fisher pointed out the Giants run defence statistics are misleading.You have to look at average per carry. Theyve been run on quite a bit, Fisher said. But keep in mind they play teams in that division that can run the football, namely Dallas. So, those numbers are affected. You have to be careful looking at numbers. Its not going to be easy to run against them.Mason is not deterred by Fishers assessment. But he also knows he has much to learn. To help himself get better, Mason said he is in contact with Rams Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk often.I talk to Marshall Faulk a lot, picking his brain, Mason said. Hes one of the greatest so I pick his brain a lot.To become a better back, Mason wants to be a combination of Faulk, Bo Jackson, Jamall Lewis and Chris Johnson. He has his sights set on becoming one of the best.I want to be the best player ever to touch the football, Mason said. Not just running backs. I want to be the best player ever.NOTES: DE Chris Long (ankle) did not participate Friday but is listed as probable for Sundays game.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFLhttp://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Rodri-Jersey/ . Now, the hottest team on the ATP are pointing their sights on qualifying for the eight-team season finals in London next November. Pospisil has now established the year-end World Tour Finals as the benchmark for a breakthrough season, with Pospisil and Sock provisionally standing ninth. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Antoine-Griezmann-Jersey/ . The struggling New Orleans Pelicans were simply overmatched. Crawford hit seven 3s on his way to 24 points, and the Clippers beat the Pelicans 123-110 on Monday night. "We understand what we do well. If we all do what we do well, well make our team stronger," Crawford said. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Jan-Oblak-Jersey/ . - Rookie Tesho Akindele scored three goals and Fabian Castillo added two in FC Dallas 5-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Thomas-Lemar-Jersey/ .C. United to a 4-1 victory over short-handed FC Dallas on Saturday night. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Santiago-Arias-Jersey/ . Murray, the defending champion and No. 3 seed, claimed his first match win at Queens in 2005 and went on to win the Wimbledon warmup three times. But he failed to take advantage of eight set points after leading the first-set tiebreaker 6-2, and Stepanek survived to convert with his second set point.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will take the ice minus their captain again on Monday when they battle the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning without the services of Sidney Crosby. Crosby is the latest NHL player stricken with the mumps and he will miss a third straight game with the illness tonight. Although the Penguins didnt officially announce their star forward had the mumps until Sunday, he was held out of games on Friday and Saturday for what the club deemed a precautionary measure. Pittsburgh said Crosby should be through the infectious period by Monday. Were concerned about it (spreading), its a disease thats going throughout the league, said Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford on Sunday. You just dont know how far it can spread. Were watching this on a regular basis. Crosby has nine goals and 26 assists for 35 points in 27 games this season. Pittsburgh got by without Crosby on Friday, downing the visiting Calgary Flames by a 3-1 score. However, the Pens dropped a 4-3 shootout decision the following night in Columbus. The Pens, who lead the New York Islanders by two points for first in the Metropolitan Division, have earned a point in four straight games (2-0-2). They needed a goal from Kris Letang with less than 11 seconds remaining in regulation to get Saturdays contest to overtime. Columbus would pick up the extra point, however, as Ryan Johansen was credited with the game-winner in the shootout at Nationwide Arena. Letang tallied twice, with both of his scores coming in the third period. Before beating Sergei Bobrovsky with a slap shot with 10.9 seconds left in regulation, he notched a short-handed goal at 7:22 of the period. We played really well in the third period, Letang said. We were really after them. We earned that point. Blake Comeau also scored in the loss. Thomas Greiss stopped 24 puucks in 65 minutes of play but allowed two of three Columbus shooters to best him in the tiebreaker.dddddddddddd Tampa Bay hopes to take advantage of the Crosby-less Pens tonight after losing for the third time in four games Saturday evening against Washington. However, Pittsburgh has dominated the Lightning recently, taking nine straight since Tampas last win in the series on Nov. 17, 2011. The Pens also have claimed seven straight and nine of the past 10 encounters in the Steel City. The Capitals downed the Lightning 4-2 behind a hat trick from Nicklas Backstrom, as Tampa dropped the opener of a five-game road trip. The Lightning made a valiant effort to push the game to overtime, but came up short. Washington led 3-0 after Backstrom completed his hat trick just 2:17 into the third and the score remained that way until Tyler Johnson and Matt Carle each scored in the final five minutes of regulation for the Bolts. Tampa couldnt notch the equalizer, however, and the Caps sealed the win with Eric Fehrs empty-net tally in the final minute. Ben Bishop made 24 saves for Tampa Bay, which fell to 7-5-2 as the visiting team this season. Despite their recent struggles, the Lightning still find themselves tied with Detroit for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Bolts can take sole possession of the top spot by gaining at least a point tonight. With Tampa also playing tomorrow night in Philadelphia, Bishop could get a rest over the next two games. He is 0-2-0 with a 4.43 goals against average in three career games against the Penguins, while backup Evgeni Nabokov is 11-6-0 with a lifetime 2.18 GAA over 18 outings versus Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh No. 1 Marc-Andre Fleury is 15-10-3 with a 2,39 in his career against Tampa. The Pens are 10-4-1 as the host this season, while Tampa is just 7-5-2 as the guest. 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