Darius Leonard was disappointed when his name didn’t appear on the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster Tuesday night.Now the league’s leading tackler intends to make all future opponents pay for the perceived snub.“He told me he’d have 40 tackles this week White Jon Halapio Jerseys , and I told him that’s humanly impossible,” tight end Eric Ebron said Wednesday.But if the Colts (8-6) have learned anything about their star rookie, it’s not to discount anything he says.When South Carolina State played Clemson in 2016, Leonard had 19 tackles against the eventual national champs and his childhood favorite, which never offered him a scholarship. His performance that day earned him the nickname “Maniac” around campus, a nickname he still clings to, and put him on the radar of Colts general manager Chris Ballard.Throughout the draft process, he heard from the critics again. This time they were questioning the level of competition he faced in college; how long it would take to make the transition from FCS to the NFL; and whether Ballard reached when he took Leonard at No. 36 overall, four picks into the second round, in April.Others questioned whether missing all of the Colts’ spring and summer workouts because of a bad hamstring would slow him down this season.Leonard has proved all of them wrong.Despite missing one game Jon Halapio Jerseys 2019 , at New England, he continues to lead the league with 146 tackles and needs 15 over the final two games to break Jeff Herrod’s single-season franchise record (160), a mark that has stood since 1991. And if Leonard’s play matches the hype, Herrod’s record could go down Sunday against the New York Giants (5-9).“It adds more fuel to the fire,” Leonard said when asked about missing the Pro Bowl. “It gives me more reason to go out and keep fighting. With everything I did and knowing it’s still not enough, I’ve got to put more on my resume.”Leonard views it as more of a promise than a warning and it fits his personality.While he revels in the underdog role, he routinely plays with a chip on his shoulder and continually sets his standards high. His goal each week is to get 25 tackles and he’s finished in double digits in seven of the Colts’ 14 games. He’s tied with Carolina’s Luke Kuechly for the most games with 10 or more tackles this season.But what the Colts have found in Leonard is much more than a tackling machine.His seven sacks are third most by a Colts rookie, trailing only Dwight Freeney (13) and Vernon Maxwell (7). Dee Ford, Khalil Mack and J.J. Watt — all Pro Bowlers — are the only players this season to force more fumbles than Leonard (4). He also has 12 tackles for loss, six passes defensed and two fumble recoveries.Andrew Luck spotted the potential almost from the first moment Leonard suited up for Indy. At the first training camp practice White Curtis Riley Jerseys , Leonard made a leaping, acrobatic interception of the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.“I’ll be honest, the first couple of training camp practices I said ‘My goodness, he’s not supposed to be that fast and play linebacker,'” Luck recalled. “And then he went up for that interception and came down with it, and I just said ‘My goodness.'”Luck appreciates that he won’t have to contend with Leonard in a meaningful game. The rest of the league won’t be as fortunate.“I want to go out there every week and make every tackle,” Leonard said.“I like to set a crazy goal, so each week if it’s not 25 (tackles), I’m mad at myself.” EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — First-round draft pick Saquon Barkley ran on his own as the New York Giants returned to practice.The former Penn State running back drafted No. 2 overall carried a ball and ran at roughly three-quarter speed Sunday as strength and conditioning coach Aaron Wellman watched.Barkley strained a hamstring catching a pass out of the backfield at practice last Monday. He did not participate in the workouts held jointly in Allen Park Curtis Riley Jerseys 2019 , Michigan between the Giants and Detroit Lions. He also did not play in Friday’s preseason game.Coach Pat Shurmur continues to say Barkley will be handled on a day to day basis.Jonathan Stewart and Wayne Gallman took the majority of first-team snaps during the practice that lasted roughly an hour.While the injury is not going to change Barkley’s role as the starting halfback, a hamstring problem that has sidelined third-year safety Darian Thompson is creating a three-man competition for the spot opposite Landon Collins.Curtis Riley, who played the past two seasons in Tennessee, and Andrew Adams, who has had 17 starts in the past two seasons, are competing for the job for Thompson, who also has 17 starts in two seasons.Riley was considered the outsider coming into training camp, but he started against the Lions and continues to play with the first team.“I bring a lot of range, I can tackle, speed White Riley Dixon Jerseys , communication, which is the biggest thing, and just knowing the defense,” said Riley, who missed the preseason opener against Cleveland Browns with a hamstring injury.Thompson started against Cleveland and sustained his hamstring injury.Riley, who appeared in seven games with the Titans, said Tennessee played a similar defense.“It’s about communication, knowing what you are supposed to do, knowing where to put other people,” Riley said Riley Dixon Jerseys 2019 , adding the coaches will decide the starter. “You’ve got to make plays, the NFL is about making plays.”Shurmur said backup quarterbacks Davis Webb, Kyle Lauletta and Alex Tanney are making progress on a daily basis. He said he has not made a depth chart for the position beyond Eli Manning being the starter.NOTES: CB Donte Deayon (hamstring) and WR Travis Rudolph (quad) returned to practice after missing a week with injuries “They’ve got to get back in there,” Shurmur said. “Again, their health is a front burner deal for us. We want to make sure they’re healthy before we put them out in an uncontrolled setting, So yeah, they’ve got to catch up. That’s just the nature of being out.” …Shurmur said he has a game plan of sorts for the contest with the Jets on Friday night at MetLife Stadium. “We want to run plays that work. It’s not like we’re trying to save anything, so certainly we’re going to try and do that a little bit.”