ALAMEDA, Calif. - Fifteen years of wasted or traded away first-round draft picks have laid the foundation for a dismal decade for the Oakland Raiders.From busts such as JaMarcus Russell to reaches such as Darrius Heyward-Bey, mistakes on draft day led directly to losses on the field as the Raiders have gone 12 straight years without a winning record or playoff berth.General manager Reggie McKenzie might finally have found a player to help end that slide this year in linebacker Khalil Mack. The fifth overall pick out of Buffalo has been an impact player right from the start.He is dominating against the run, a relentless pass rusher and an eager learner who is part of the foundation for what the Raiders hope will eventually be a resurgence.He jumps out on film every week, safety Charles Woodson said. So to us its no surprise what hes doing out there. We know the other team, whether its the quarterback or whether its the tackle or tight end trying to take him on, theyre feeling him. And thats every week. Thats every play, man. This guys going to be special.Since drafting Woodson fourth overall in 1998, the Raiders made 15 first-round picks the following 15 years and dealt three more away in ill-fated trades for Randy Moss, Richard Seymour and Carson Palmer.Only two of those 15 ever made a single Pro Bowl — cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and kicker Sebastian Janikowski — and many were colossal failures such as Russell.Mack appears to be a full-fledged success.Hes continuing to grow and hes continuing to improve. Each week hes gotten a little bit better, interim coach Tony Sparano said. Hes getting better and better and thats all we can ask for our young players right now is to continue to improve.Macks play has put him in contention to win the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Mack is one of the leading contenders for the honour, along with St. Louis Aaron Donald and Baltimores C.J. Mosley.The Raiders havent had a player win a major post-season award since quarterback Rich Gannon was MVP back in 2002.I cant listen to it, he said. Ill listen to it at the end of year, but not now. The grind is all Im focusing on, and going out and getting better every week.He has done just that. Mack is the top-graded 4-3 outside linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus, just edging out Denver star Von Miller.While many outside linebackers make their names by sacking the quarterback, Mack has been at his best against the run where he fights off blocks to make plays in the backfield every week. Mack is second in the NFL to Houstons J.J. Watt with 11 1/2 tackles at or behind the line against the run, according to STATS.Mack is no slouch rushing the passer despite seeing more than his share of double-teams. He is tied for sixth among all linebackers with 51 quarterback pressures and has four sacks on the season. Mack ranks third in quarterback pressures among linebackers over the past 11 weeks.Its been pretty cool to see the transition from the game moving fast to it starting to slow down, and Im starting to key a lot of different things and read a lot of different things and see how people are scheming, and pretty much knowing how the game works at this level, Mack said.Macks growing comfort level has led to more ways he can be used by defensive co-ordinator Jason Tarver. After starting the season mostly as a strongside linebacker, Mack now moves around the defence to get the best possible matchup and to confuse opposing quarterbacks.Buffalos Kyle Orton appeared flustered by the constant pressure Mack applied this past week from all different areas of the field.Weve been able to move him more and more, Tarver said. But whats great about Khalil is hes a one-time correction young man. He can see it once he does it. Hes very conscious of what hes doing, so when he sees it he remembers the play and you say, Hey, what did you feel here? or, What did you do? Next time you feel that, do this. Hes got it.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Sneakers Sale .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks take aim at their longest winning streak of the season on Sunday when they host the Calgary Flames in a battle at the United Center. Air Force 1 Sale . Diego Costa headed in Gabis corner seven minutes from time to secure victory ahead of the return match in Madrid on March 11. "We know that at Madrid it will be another game, which will also be important and very difficult," Milan coach Clarence Seedorf said. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/nmd-sale/. THE THUNDER & PACERS BENCHES: In a nutshell, not impressive at all. Wholesale Shoes USA . Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse will reunite at this weekends season-opening World Cup at Canada Olympic Park as they begin their buildup to the Winter Games in Sochi. Wholesale Shoes . When Reyes signed a US$106-million, six-year deal with Miami last month, there was speculation Ramirez was unhappy about being supplanted at short. But new manager Ozzie Guillen sold Ramirez on the idea.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Buffalo Sabres know that they have the entire country of Latvia behind them, but their recent string of success may start to bring the rest of Western New York back into the fold. When the Sabres fell to 3-13-2 following a loss to the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 13, those fans still left watching the club likely went to bed with continued fantasies of junior superstar Connor McDavid speeding around First Niagara Center sporting the navy blue and gold. After all, the Sabres seemed destined at having the best chance at securing the top selection in the upcoming draft, earning the right to select either McDavid or fellow center Jack Eichel. Both players are believed to have the ability to cornerstone a franchise, something Buffalo seemed to desperately need at the time. Maybe the Sabres still do, but head coach Ted Nolan and his players werent really on board with the whole tanking thing and have instead decided to, you know, go out and win games. Buffalo has won eight of 11 since that loss to the Wild. Now tied for 26th out of the 30 teams in the overall NHL standings, the Sabres are talking -- and more importantly playing -- like a team that believes it can win each night. I think this team has taken a 180 from where we were at the start of the year, said forward Matt Moulson. I think now we believe in each other and were competing a lot harder. We know what we have to do to have success and get wins. Thursdays home encounter with the Calgary Flames, a gutsy 4-3 win, was a perfect example of Sabres hockey as of late. Twice in the game, the Sabres failed to hold a lead and they then fell behind by a goal just 3:14 into the third frame. The Buffalo Sabres that took the ice in October and the early part of November likely would have folded and gone home, but not this newly-inspired bunch. Instead, future All-Star Zemgus Girgensons (more on that later) put home a game-tying goal and Moulson came through with a game-winner with 7:29 to play. That gave the Sabres a victory despite the squad getting outshot 45-19. It wasnt one of our better games, but it showed that the belief factor is starting to creep in. We werent in the game, but we still bellieved we could come back, said Nolan.dddddddddddd. There is no doubt that Nolans club plays with fire each night. Even during its string of success, the Sabres have scored more than two goals only twice in their last nine and remain dead-last in the NHL with 1.66 goals per game. But confidence in the defense and goaltending, especially Jhonas Enroth, has been key. The Sabres have allowed two goals or fewer five times over the aforementioned nine-game span and have avoided beating themselves with bad mistakes. Youre not going to have an A-game every night, but if youre doing those little things right, theyre going to pay off, noted Moulson. It has certainly helped Enroth, who is 7-2-0 over his last nine games with a 1.93 goals against average and .944 save percentage. Nolan pointed out after Thursdays win how the line of Moulson, Girgensons and Tyler Ennis, one that was put together back in mid-November, has helped to spark the club. Girgensons, meanwhile, is starting to become a little famous around the NHL, much like he already is back in his home country of Latvia. The 20-year-olds goal versus the Flames was his career-high ninth of the season, surpassing the eight he scored in 70 games as a rookie last season. Now, nine goals through 29 games and 16 points that dont even lead the team certainly dont scream All-Star, but the much-argued tradition of fan voting has led to an unforeseen turn of events. When Tuesdays update of the All-Star voting was released, Girgensons continued to pace the pack with 803,805 votes. To put that into perspective, the second-leading getter in votes is Chicagos Patrick Kane -- with 375,758. That, of course, is possible due to online voting, giving the entire world a say in who will skate in this seasons All-Star Game. According to the Sabres, 82 percent of Girgensons votes came from Latvians. Its crazy. People back home are just crazy hockey fans, Girgensons, the 14th overall pick of the 2012 draft and native of Riga, Latvia, told NHL Live on Wednesday. Its always been like that. Its fun, its cool, mixed emotions. Its funny at the same time. What isnt funny is teams still expecting to pick up easy wins against the Sabres. ' ' '