EAST RUTHERFORD Joe Looney Jersey , N.J. (AP) — Being the oldest player on the New York Giants, Eli Manning can smile talking about the generational gap between him and some of his younger teammates.

Many of the so-called kids on the team were in grade school when Manning was taken with the first pick of the 2004 draft.

Some such as halfback and recent No. 2 overall pick Saquon Barkley were still in grade school when the quarterback won his first of two Super Bowl MVPs in February 2008.

And things certainly are different now. The music has morphed. The games played on the cell phones and tablets are more advanced. Phrases used in speech have changed. Dancing on the field and in the locker room is more prevalent.

“There’s a lot of dancing going on, a lot of dancing, which, I find very curious,” Manning, 37, said Tuesday after the Giants practiced for their annual preseason game against the Jets. “The music, I miss out on some of the music and social media, some of the things they’re on. For the most part Josh Norman Jersey , I can figure it out.”

Building relationships and putting the team first is what Manning has been all about entering his 15th NFL season.

While he is certainly more laid back than most of his teammates, Manning likes to reach out to the young men. He is notorious for taking their phones and changing the language to a foreign one.

Some players have caught on, though. Odell Beckham Jr. no longer uses 13-13 as his passcode to the cell phone, and other have chosen more intricate passwords. Manning is looking to get around that.

“You’ve got to have fun with them and connect with them,” Manning said. “There’s times where it is serious and you’re talking ball, they always know by the way I approach them whether I have something serious to talk about, a route or a concept or something. There’s (also) times where we get to goof off and kind of get to know the lighter side of them.”

Manning jokes that he is doing a lot more dancing to connect with a younger crowd that includes Beckham, Barkley, wide receiver Sterling Shepard and tight end Evan Engram, all 25 and under.

“I think I have a good relationship with all the guys Jonathan Allen Jersey , and I’m not trying to act like I’m 22, I act my age and make fun of myself a lot, and they add to it probably and so that’s fine,” Manning said. “I’m good with that.”

Manning’s focus remains football. In recent days, he and Beckham have walked away from 11-on-11 drills between second teamers to work on pass routes and things they did not connect on in practice.

Beckham, who missed most of last season with a broken ankle, has not lost a step, Manning said.

“We’ve had game experience together,” Manning said. “Now Saquon, that’s different Jeff Heath Jersey , just because he’s a rookie and missing some valuable time. So, I know he’s getting mental reps. It’s different than practice reps, it’s different than game reps. Hopefully, he can get back soon.”

Barkley has missed more than a week with a hamstring injury and it looks unlikely he will play Friday.

For Manning, the rivalry game with the Jets is nothing more than probably his last game before the season opener against Jacksonville on Sept. 9 at home.

“I look at it as the third preseason game and a chance for us to go out there and play for an extended period, against a good defense and a good team,” Manning said. “You want to go out there and execute well and feel good about where you are.”

Manning played two series in the preseason opener against Cleveland and led the team to a field goal. Shurmur rested him last Friday for the game in Detroit against the Lions.

“He kind of told me early on I probably wouldn’t play,” Manning said. “So, I knew I had to get the most out of the practices with Detroit, which I thought we got some good work. I always want to be out there and play http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/jason-croom-jersey , but I understand it. I look forward to this week getting out there.”

The Arizona Cardinals have released running back Adrian Peterson after a half-season in the desert that included a pair of impressive games and a season-ending injury.

The seven-time All-Pro running back began last season with New Orleans but, after barely playing there, was dealt to the Cardinals.

Peterson rushed for 134 yards in a win over Tampa Bay and 159 in a win over San Francisco. In six games, he gained 448 yards on 129 carries for Arizona before being sidelined with a neck injury.

Peterson's release was not unexpected, with David Johnson returning from injury and expected to fill the primary running back spot.

Peterson, who turns 33 next week, ranks 12th in the NFL in career rushing with 12,276 yards.

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The San Francisco 49ers will not pick up the contract option on pass rusher Elvis Dumervil.

The team announced the move to part ways with the 34-year-old Dumervil on Friday. The 49ers also said they tendered a one-year contract to exclusive rights free agent running back Raheem Mostert and picked up the 2018 contract option for linebacker Dekoda Watson.

Dumervil led the 49ers with 6 sacks last season and has 105 in an 11-year career that also included stints in Denver and Baltimore.

Mostert played 11 games last season and finished with six carries for 30 yards while adding a team-high eight special teams tackles.

Watson had four defensive tackles and six tackles on special teams in 14 games last season.

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When Archie Manning was playing pro football Kyler Fackrell Jersey , his family and friends had to scramble to see his games. Sort of like what Manning had to do behind the Saints‘ sieve of a line.

When his sons, first Peyton in 1998 and then Eli in 2004, broke into the NFL, all Archie had to do was sit in his favorite chair and turn on DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket.

The satellite television provider’s most successful sports package — when AT&T spent $47 billion to purchase DirecTV in 2015, the deal was predicated on having the broadcast rights to Sunday afternoon NFL games — heads into its 25th season.

It has well over 2 million subscribers. It doesn’t come cheap: The price for the most-inclusive Sunday Ticket Max that has Red Zone and a fantasy football channel is close to $400, which has drawn complaints from subscribers.

Then again, there’s access to all those games, meaning a Giants fan living in Marco Island on the Florida Gulf Coast can see all of Eli he wishes. Or a Packers fan living in the Arizona desert gets his fill of Aaron Rodgers, and so on.

Plus all the bettors and fantasy players out there can watch their choices in action.

“It’s pretty unbelievable that more than 20 years ago when I was introduced to it, Peyton was going into the NFL, and we are not one of these parents that try to go to the games every weekend http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/anthony-miller-jersey ,” Archie says. “So we could watch on TV and were able to do that from New Orleans.

“And then when Eli came into the league, we could get his games. Otherwise, we would not be able to pick up all the Colts and Giants games. Having two sons playing on Sunday when Eli came along, it was just great to have Sunday Ticket.”

It’s been a boon for the NFL, whose ratings, like all other sports, have shrunk on network television. Having the satellite package that brings in $12 billion over eight years makes DirecTV a key broadcast partner, as well as a place for innovation.

“I feel that NFL Sunday Ticket’s biggest impact is it created a new standard,” says Brian Rolapp, the league’s chief business and media officer. “All other sports have emulated in one form or another an out-of-market package; it’s now an expected component of any sports media offerings. As a result, sports fans have benefited immensely Tramon Williams Jersey , as in this day and age they are afforded the opportunity to watch the sport or the team they love regardless of where they live. To me, that’s what it’s all about.

“There is no question that making all of our Sunday afternoon games available to fans — regardless of what market they are in — has helped increase the popularity of the league. It allowed us to make Sunday afternoon football national while not compromising the regionalized, free over-the-air games (that are blacked out on DirecTV in those local markets).”

The Mannings often have been called the “First Family of Football.” Certainly Peyton and Eli — and to a lesser extent, Archie and wife Olivia — have been Sunday Ticket’s first family.

Peyton first hit the commercials scene for DirecTV in 2001, three years after four future Hall of Famers — Troy Aikman, Jerry Rice, Brett Favre and John Elway — did the initial spot for Sunday Ticket. Peyton became a regular in 2003 and was joined by Eli in 2007.

Some of those ads — “Displaced Fan Syndrome,””Football Cops,””Football On Your Phone” — have become YouTube sensations, in part because they put the Manning brothers in such unexpected and hilarious roles. Archie even got to join the fun when two of those spots were filmed in New Orleans.

“I was ready to have a back fusion and it was going to be (filmed) the next week,” Archie says of one of the commercials. “I told them: ‘I can’t stand up.’ They got me into it somehow.

“Eli kind of carried those commercials Doug Williams Jersey , especially the rap one — I still get people talking to me about ‘Football On Your Phone.'”

Archie then sings that phrase just as Peyton and Eli did.

For Eli, stepping so out of character was tantamount to him becoming a scrambling quarterback.

“The ones with my brother were pretty special,” he says. “The most nervous was for “Football On Your Phone,’ the rap video. Being dressed up like Timberlake in 1999 in New Orleans, that’s a little out of my element. It had a shock effect on a lot of people and that made it fun.

“Peyton and I were both making fun of each other and trying to sing that rap, and just how bad I knew I was sounding. We definitely had to sing it; they put us in a sound booth, and there were a lot of repeats of us trying to get the right pitch and everything going. It was pretty amazing what they can do with some of technology today.”

Well, if DirecTV can make rap stars out of Brothers Manning, coming up with Red Zone had to be a snap. Archie says he “really loves red zone.” Apparently, so do subscribers and the folks watching in restaurants.

“Innovations have included the invention of Red Zone, the concept of which has been widely copied by other leagues and networks like ESPN; Game Mix channels http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/jabaal-sheard-jersey , where fans can watch four to six live games at once,” says Dan York, AT&T senior executive vice president and chief content officer.

“In addition to celebrating the 25th season, we will also hit another tremendous milestone: broadcasting our 5,000th game.”

Way back when the first games were being televised by DirecTV, it wasn’t exactly a huge conglomerate getting the telecasts on the satellite network. The product launched in 1994, the same year as satellite service but only a partial season of S Authentic Womens Malik Jefferson Jersey

The Miami Dolphins still have devoted only one first-round draft pick to the quarterback spot since 1984.

But they may add one Friday.

The top four QBs in the draft were gone by the time the Dolphins' turn came with the No. 11 choice Thursday http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/cole-beasley-jersey , so they selected All-America safety Minkah Fitzpatrick of Alabama.

The Dolphins have the Nos. 42 and 73 overall picks in the second and third rounds, and they still have plenty of needs. Along with a quarterback to back up and perhaps eventually succeed Ryan Tannehill, they need starters at outside linebacker and tight end.

Washington State quarterback Luke Falk might be one option.

Fitzpatrick had a school-record four interception returns for touchdowns at Alabama and gives the Dolphins a playmaker in the secondary, where he'll be paired with Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones.

Joel Bitonio is doing what the Browns requested Cody Parkey Jersey , but he admits reluctance at moving from left guard to left tackle. He has started the past four seasons at guard.

“You’re always scared of the unknown,” Bitonio said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Shon Coleman got the first shot at replacing Joe Thomas. Now, it’s Bitonio’s turn.

Austin Corbett will take over at left guard.

“I want to help the team win James Daniels Jersey , and coach [Hue] Jackson wants to put the best five offensive linemen out on the field,” Bitonio said. “Right now, he thinks that’s with me at left tackle, so I’m going to try to be the best left tackle I can be Tavon Austin Jersey , and if something happens where I’ve got to go play left guard again, then I’ll try to be ready to do that as well. It’s just what’s going to help our team win the most games.”

Veteran Greg Robinson was expected to compete at left tackle. But the former No. 2 overall pick who signed with the Browns in the offseason was diagnosed with a concussion last week and has not practiced since.

“Was [Bitonio] reluctant? Yeah, I would be, too Rafael Bush Jersey ,” Jackson said. “He’s one of the best left guards in football.”
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The Buffalo Bills have placed Richie Incognito on their reserve/retired list in a move confirming the offensive guard's intention to abruptly quit football after 11 seasons.

The Bills announced the move Thursday Taron Johnson Jersey , two days after Incognito indicated he was "done" in a series of interviews and messages posted on his Twitter account.

Incognito cited health concerns involving his liver and kidneys as the reasons to retire. He also expressed second thoughts over accepting a pay cut when restructuring the final year of his contract.

He started all 36 games at left guard over three seasons in Buffalo, and after the Bills provided incognito a second chance at playing following his role in the Miami Dolphins' bullying scandal in 2013.

The Bills' move clears room on the team's roster http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/connor-williams-jersey , while also exposing yet another hole on what had been a veteran-laden offensive line that helped Buffalo lead the NFL in yards rushing in both 2015 and '16.

Veteran center Eric Wood will not return after being diagnosed with a career-ending neck injury in January.

Linebacker C.J. Mosley started his career with the Ravens and he’d like to finish it in Baltimore as well.

The Ravens picked up the option on Mosley’s contract for 2018 and there’s no reason to think they’ll rethink that decision before the start of the 2018 league year, so there’s no immediate issue on the contract front. Should the Ravens want to get the ball rolling on an extension DeShone Kizer Jersey , though, Mosley made it clear that he’s looking for one.

“I’ve never been a guy that’s liked change or gone to a new place and start over Vernon Davis Jersey ,” Mosley said, via ESPN.com. “I went all four years at Bama. I was at one high school. I was at one middle school. So I’ll love to stay in Baltimore and continue my legacy and try to be the second-best linebacker to finish out there.”

Ray Lewis comparisons may have to wait a few years Star Lotulelei Jersey , but the first four seasons of Mosley’s career have been highly productive and the Ravens likely feel the same way when it comes to an extension that will ensure he remains in Baltimore for a long time.
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PITTSBURGH STEELERS (13-4)

OPEN CAMP: July 26 http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/khalil-mack-jersey , Latrobe, Pennsylvania

LAST YEAR: Steelers won second straight AFC North title and third in four years as ”Killer Bs” trio of QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR Antonio Brown and RB Le’Veon Bell received plenty of help from rookie WR JuJu Smith-Schuster and defense that gave up big plays but also led NFL with 57 sacks. Still, Steelers had trouble when pushed by quality teams. They let second-half lead get away at home against New England, loss that cost them home-field advantage in playoffs. And they couldn’t find way to beat Jacksonville, which won at Heinz Field not once but twice, including divisional playoff upset in which seemingly offensively challenged Jaguars put up 45 points.

IMPORTANT ADDITIONS: S Morgan Burnett, LB Jon Bostic, rookie S Terrell Edmunds, rookie WR James Washington, rookie QB Mason Rudolph.

IMPORTANT LOSSES: Offensive coordinator Todd Haley, defensive backs coach Carnell Lake, WR Martavis Bryant, S Mike Mitchell, CB William Gay, S, Robert Golden, LB Arthur Moats.

CAMP NEEDS: Steelers promoted longtime QB coach Randy Fichtner to take over play-calling duties after Haley’s successful if occasionally turbulent six-year stint ended in January. Fichtner doesn’t expect to give offense massive overhaul, though he will be forced to experiment during camp at running back with Bell unlikely to show while he waits to sign one-year franchise tender. One year after finding potential star in Smith-Schuster, Steelers hope they’ve done it again with Washington after record-setting career at Oklahoma State. Race to fill injured inside linebacker Ryan Shazier’s spot is wide open, with Bostic and Tyler Matakevich getting first crack at lining up next to Vince Williams. Secondary is also being overhauled with Mitchell Henry Anderson Jersey , Golden and Gay gone.

EXPECTATIONS: Steelers once again expected to be class of AFC North. While Roethlisberger thinks he can play another handful of seasons, Pittsburgh’s window could be closing faster than he anticipated. Front office failed to reach long-term agreement with Bell, meaning this will likely be his final season in Pittsburgh. Steelers have proven they can be productive without him, but elite? That’s tough sell, putting onus on them to get it done this season. Better play in secondary would help. So would some consistency at outside linebacker, where Bud Dupree remains enigma as he enters fourth season.

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BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-7)

OPEN CAMP: July 18, Owings Mills, Maryland

LAST YEAR: Ravens missed playoffs for third straight season, falling to Cincinnati in finale when victory would have earned Baltimore playoff berth. Though Ravens posted winning record for first time since 2014, disappointing finish was takeaway from season in which quarterback Joe Flacco struggled and defense played well in spurts. Telling statistic from 2017: Flacco averaged 5.7 yards per attempt, more than half-yard less than his previous low for single season.

IMPORTANT ADDITIONS: QB Lamar Jackson, WR Michael Crabtree, WR Willie Snead, TE Hayden Hurst, QB Robert Griffin III, WR John Brown.

IMPORTANT LOSSES: WR Jeremy Maclin, WR Mike Wallace, RB Danny Woodhead, CB Lardarius Webb, WR Michael Campanaro, defensive coordinator Dean Pees.

CAMP NEEDS: Ravens need to solidify offensive line Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Jersey , because heavy-footed Flacco will need time in pocket to be effective. Team will determine its starting center in camp, and can only hope rookie tackle Orlando Brown can shore up right side of line. Best lineman on team, guard Marshal Yanda, participated in only two games last year, so depth at that position is must.

EXPECTATIONS: Ravens hope busy offseason will help get them back into playoffs and make some noise in January. General manager Ozzie Newsome, who will step aside after season, worked hard to get Flacco variety of targets – most notably Crabtree and Snead. New defensive coordinator Don Martindale promises more aggressive scheme and return to day when Ravens’ defense was nasty and effective. It’s uncertain how nimble QB Jackson will blend into mix, but Ravens spent good deal of time at minicamp finding ways to get him on field.

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CINCINNATI BENGALS (7-9)

OPEN CAMP: July 26, Paul Brown Stadium

LAST YEAR: Missed playoffs for second straight season. Coach Marvin Lewis got two-year contract extension despite 0-7 playoff mark, worst in NFL history. He’s entering 16th season with Bengals, who have yet to win playoff game since 1990 season, longest active postseason drought in NFL and sixth longest in league history. Bill Lazor was promoted to interim offensive coordinator two games into season and retains role, given freedom to overhaul unit that finished last in yards. Teryl Austin was hired as defensive coordinator, replacing Paul Guenther, who joined Jon Gruden with Raiders.

IMPORTANT ADDITIONS: Lazor, LT Cordy Glenn, C Billy Price, QB Matt Barkley, LB Preston Brown.

IMPORTANT LOSSES: LB Vontaze Burfict (suspended for first four games for violating NFL’s policy on performance enhancers), QB AJ McCarron, C Russell Bodine Chidobe Awuzie Jersey , CB Adam ”Pacman” Jones, RB Jeremy Hill.

CAMP NEEDS: Getting adjusted to Lazor’s overhauled offense and getting new pieces in place on line are overriding concerns. Austin is expected to stay with similar defense, but there will be competition for spots in line rotation. Once again, Bengals will spend preseason planning for Burfict’s absence – third straight season he’s been suspended by league. Bengals took gamble and signed TE Tyler Eifert to one-year deal loaded with incentives, hoping he can add to group that was subpar last season, but he was hurt again for training

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The competiveness of the NFL leaves little room for sentiment, not even for the most accomplished, respected or trusted players.

Brian Robison and Terence Newman were the latest reminders of that, left off the regular-season roster by the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday when the deadline for reaching the 53-player limit arrived.

The Vikings released Robison before his 12th season with the team was to begin. Then, they announced that Newman will retire and immediately join the coaching staff — three days before his 40th birthday.

Robison, who’s tied for ninth in Vikings history with 60 career sacks, was the longest-tenured player on the team. Drafted in the fourth round in 2007, he spent six of his 11 years with the Vikings as a full-time starter. Danielle Hunter moved ahead of him on the depth chart in 2017, and for the second straight offseason Robison took a pay cut to return in 2018.

With Stephen Weatherly (third year) and Tashawn Bower (second year) performing well in the preseason as backups to Hunter and Everson Griffen, Robison’s adjusted $1.1 million salary was still too much for the Vikings to carry considering the 35-year-old’s reduced role.

“This one hurts, but it’s not goodbye,” Robison wrote in a thank-you message on his Twitter account . “More like see you later.”

The Vikings felt strongly enough about Robison that they included statements from owners Zygi and Mark Wilf, general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer in their announcement of his release.

“Brian has been one of the best leaders I’ve seen in my career, and I’m happy I got the opportunity to coach him,” Zimmer said. “He’s been such a great player for us and an even better help building the kind of culture we want with this team.”

Newman joined the Vikings in 2015, reuniting with Zimmer after playing for him with Dallas (four seasons) and Cincinnati (two seasons) when Zimmer was the defensive coordinator for those teams. The fifth overall pick in the 2003 draft Colt McCoy Jersey , Newman has 42 career interceptions, which was the most among active players following the retirement this spring of DeAngelo Hall. With Newman’s announcement, Carolina’s Julius Peppers (age 38) becomes the oldest defensive player in the league.

The Vikings said they’d provide more details on Newman’s role on the coaching staff in the near future. In addition to serving as a valuable mentor to starters Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes, Newman stepped in capably in the slot as the nickel cornerback when Mackensie Alexander struggled. The Vikings drafted Mike Hughes in the first round, though, giving them plenty of depth.

Robison and Newman were the only two players older than 30 on the roster. Strong safety Andrew Sendejo (Sept. 9), cornerback/punt returner Marcus Sherels (Sept. 30) and Griffen (Dec. 22) will turn 31 during the season.

The Vikings cut seven wide receivers this weekend, including Chad Beebe, Cayleb Jones and Kendall Wright. Beebe, the son of former Buffalo folk hero Don Beebe, had a standout preseason but was out of action with an injury this week. Jones was charged with domestic assault and two other crimes this week for allegedly shoving his girlfriend during an argument at a hotel. Wright has 339 career catches, after playing his first five seasons in the NFL with Tennessee and last year for Chicago.

The fifth and final wide receiver spot on the team went to Brandon Zylstra, a native of Spicer, Minnesota, who played at NCAA Division III Concordia College and played the last two seasons in the CFL.

The Vikings placed backup linebacker and special teams contributor Kentrell Brothers on the suspended list, for a previously announced punishment from the NFL for violating the performance-enhancing substances policy.

Center Pat Elflein was removed from the physically unable to perform list after being held out for the entire preseason following offseason ankle and shoulder surgeries. If he’s not cleared to play in the season opener on Sept. 9 against San Francisco, either Brett Jones or Danny Isidora will play center. Cornelius Edison, who spent much of training camp as the first team center, was among the players released.

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The more skepticism LeSean McCoy hears about whether he can maintain his production after turning 30 Brandon Scherff Jersey , the better the Buffalo running back feels.

McCoy is using the questions as motivation in preparing to open his 10th NFL season on Sunday, when the Bills play at Baltimore.

"People take a lot of shots at running backs, 30 years old," McCoy said Wednesday. "So it's like something extra to drive me. If it's chasing different things, yardage, wins, you name it. Whatever it is, I'm always going to try to find something to get myself going."

Little has managed to slow him down yet.

And that includes the cloud of allegations directed at McCoy stemming from his former girlfriend, Delicia Cordon, being bloodied during a home invasion on July 10 at a residence the running back owns in suburban Atlanta. Police have not identified a suspect.

Cordon filed a lawsuit last month accusing McCoy of breaching his duty to protect her by denying her access to a security system he recently had installed. She also alleged McCoy often "brutally beat his dog," and would also "aggressively, physically discipline and beat his young son."

In his first comments since the lawsuit was filed, McCoy would only say, "I'll take care of that stuff," before adding he's focused solely on playing the Ravens.

He was in an upbeat mood during a near 10-minute news conference. That was a switch from the last time McCoy spoke to reporters on the opening day of training camp in July http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/quintin-demps-jersey , when he grew frustrated over questions regarding the home invasion.

On Wednesday, McCoy was honored in being named an offensive captain following a player vote.

McCoy expressed no concerns over whether he can continue being the focal point of a retooled offense breaking in a new quarterback, former backup Nathan Peterman, features a patchwork line and lacks proven threats beyond him and receiver Kelvin Benjamin.

He's used to the role of carrying the load.

"To be honest, that's always been my thing since my third year," said McCoy, who led the NFL in yards rushing in 2013 in his fifth season in Philadelphia. "I've always been the focal guy on offense."

McCoy is coming off a season in which he had 1,138 yards rushing 鈥?the fifth-highest total of his career 鈥?and 448 yards receiving and eight touchdowns and became the NFL's 30th player to top 10,000 yards rushing. With 10,092 yards rushing, he ranks 29th and is some 1,900 short reaching his objective of 12,000.

The number is significant to McCoy because 13 of the 16 players to reach 12,000 yards rushing have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Former Indianapolis running back Edgerrin James (12,246 yards rushing) is one of the players not enshrined http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/lance-kendricks-jersey , while the other two are still active: Miami's Frank Gore (14,026) and Washington's Adrian Peterson (12,276).

McCoy's age is not an issue for coach Sean McDermott.

"Whatever we need to do to win games, that's what we'll do," he said when asked about potentially limiting McCoy's playing time.

"I get where you're going with the age, and that's usually tied to running backs, age 30, and all that. But he's a special guy," McDermott added. "I think he's a healthy 30. To me, he looks like he's in better shape this year than he was a year ago."

Time will only tell.

A sore groin and hip limited McCoy to appearing in just one preseason game, a 19-17 win at Cleveland on Aug 18, in which he acknowledged feeling rusty in managing 11 yards on four carries.

"I didn't play well, but that's kind of my norm in preseason," said McCoy, who added he feels ready for the start of the season.

Another concern is though he topped 1 Tony Dorsett Jersey ,000 yards rushing for a sixth time last season, McCoy averaged a career-worst 4.0 yards per carry.

McCoy shrugged off a question by saying production numbers can vary. What matters most is the respect he continues to draw from opposing defensive coordinators in devising ways to stop him.

"Having a 4.0 a carry is one thing," McCoy said. "But every week it's no secret. The defense knows the game plan and what they've got to do to stop me."

NOTES: DT Kyle Williams (right knee) and DE Trent Murphy (groin) were not listed on Buffalo's injury report after both missed significant time during training camp. ... WR Ray-Ray McCloud (left knee) and LB Julian Stanford (nose) were Buffalo's only two players listed as not practicing.
>The final weekend of the NFL’s regular season produced some frozen water fails on television and some frostiness from Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis, who put Jack Del Rio in the awkward position of announcing his own firing.First, the live television faux pas.Both ESPN reporter Diana Russini at Gillette Stadium, and FOX’s Jen Hale at the Meadowlands tried to show just how cold it was by turning over a glass of ice only to watch the water flow right on out during live takes.“I filled this glass up with water about 15 minutes ago,” Russini said. “And …”The water poured right on out.“Here on the sideline, both staffs are having trouble keeping things from freezing up,” Hale said as she dumped out her own cup of water. “Cups, they keep freezing if they’re already filled with water.”That wasn’t as cold as the frosty reception Del Rio got from Davis as he came off the field following a 30-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that left after a disappointing six-win season.Del Rio handled the situation with class.“He told me he loved me and appreciated all that I did, but felt like we weren’t going in the right direction,” Del Rio said. “He felt he needed a change, and I told him how much I appreciated the opportunity he gave me. I mean that. Very grateful. My childhood team, but it’s a results business. I understand that.“I appreciate the players and coaches and all the hard work, all the effort and energy. I do believe we have established a solid nucleus. Whoever comes in here has a chance to take that nucleus and go to special places Randy Gregory Jersey , and I’ll be pulling for them.”Del Rio took over a three-win team after the 2015 season and won seven games his first year before guiding the Raiders on a breakthrough season with 12 wins. But it ended in disappointment when a broken leg for quarterback Derek Carr in Week 16 cost the Raiders a chance at a division title and led to a first-round playoff loss.Ending Oakland’s 13-year playoff drought earned Del Rio a four-year extension in February but not any slack.Despite the return of Carr and the additions of Marshawn Lynch and Jared Cook, Del Rio’s decision to fire coordinator Bill Musgrave after last season despite a dynamic offense and replace him with quarterbacks coach Todd Downing backfired.The offense regressed significantly as Carr struggled under Downing’s tutelage and the defense showed no signs of improvement before firing coordinator Ken Norton Jr. after the defense became the first in league history to go 11 games into a season before intercepting a pass.Speculation is high that Jon Gruden will return to Oakland for a second stint as coach. He was traded by the Raiders to Tampa Bay following the 2001 season and beat Oakland in the Super Bowl the following season. He was fired by the Buccaneers after the 2008 season and has been in the broadcast booth since.Del Rio was the ninth coach in Oakland since Gruden left, but only the second to get them to the playoffs.“I honor the owner’s decision,” Del Rio said. “It was a great honor for me to lead this organization and get this opportunity, and I understand it’s a results business. We had a great first two years and this year was a big disappointment. Can’t disagree with that.”The final weekend of the regular season produced plenty of glorified exhibitions like the Kansas City-Denver game featuring a bevy of backups, including QB Patrick Mahomes making both his first NFL start and first NFL relief appearance for the Chiefs.Just as he did earlier this year with Martellus Bennett, Patriots coach Bill Belichick put newcomer James Harrison in line to make an immediate impact . Released by the Steelers after not getting the playing time he wanted, the 39-year-old linebacker had two sacks, five tackles and a forced fumble in a 26-6 win over the Jets that secured home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs for the Patriots. That was more production than he had all year with the Steelers, who are the conference’s No. 2 seed.Corey Coleman let a chance to avoid 0-16 slip through his hands on fourth down in Cleveland’s 28-24 loss to the Steelers’ B team.The Ravens let the playoffs slip through their grasp when Andy Dalton threw a 49-yard TD pass to Tyler Boyd on fourth-and-12 with 44 seconds left to push Cincy to a 31-27 win in Baltimore.That sent the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs, ending their 17-year drought, the longest in American sports.So, Bills fans finally with something to look forward to in January like those previous generations who always had Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas to cheer on well into the winter.At least until they’d lose the Super Bowl. Authentic Womens Harold Landry Jersey

OXNARD Cody Parkey Jersey , Calif. (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys have placed guard Marcus Martin on injured reserve with a toe ailment and taken defensive tackle Maliek Collins off the physically unable to perform list following offseason surgery for a broken foot.

Martin was injured in the preseason opener at San Francisco on Thursday. The fifth-year pro was among those battling for a backup job after signing a one-year deal with Dallas as a free agent.

Collins, who broke his left foot during an offseason practice in May, passed his physical Monday. The 2016 third-round pick has started 30 of 32 games for the Cowboys and is expected to be ready for the opener Sept. 9 at Carolina.

The Cowboys waived injured receiver Marchie Murdock and signed receiver Darren Carrington. Because of Martin’s injury, the Cowboys added guard Jacob Alsadek.

Dallas breaks California camp Friday before its first home preseason game Saturday against Cincinnati.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Even the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs is excited to see what Patrick Mahomes II can do.

Clark Hunt doesn’t seem worried about putting too much pressure on his young quarterback, either.

The chairman and most visible face of the ownership family said after Saturday’s training camp session at Missouri Western State University that he’s looking forward to seeing Mahomes under center when the Chiefs open their preseason schedule Thursday night against Houston.

He’s is eager for what the second-year pro can do for seasons to come, too.

“There’s a lot of excitement here in Kansas City and really around the country about Patrick. He is a young man with a lot of skills, has a very high ceiling Jonathan Allen Jersey ,” Hunt said. “He’s going through the process in learning what it means to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. That learning process will continue during the preseason and I’m sure once we get to the regular season.”

Mahomes is taking over on a full-time basis from Alex Smith, who was traded to Washington despite the best year of his career. And the fact that Kansas City is pinning its hopes on its first homegrown quarterback in a generation has energized an already fervent fan base.

Season-ticket sales are robust, and there were about 6,000 fans at practice on Saturday.

“It’s very exciting for the franchise from a long-term perspective,” Hunt said. “If you can develop your own quarterback who can play at the top of the league, you can create an opportunity over the course of a decade to win a championship, and that’s what we hope Patrick does for us.”

No pressure, kid.

Hunt has also noticed what many others have this offseason: Chiefs coach Andy Reid has an extra bounce in his step http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/vladimir-ducasse-jersey , a byproduct of the fun he’s having working with a new, young quarterback.

“I know that’s a hard thing to imagine when you’re talking about Andy,” Hunt said in his annual training camp availability, “but truthfully he seems energized. And that goes all the way back to the preseason, the chance to take a quarterback and mold him, something he’s had a lot of success at.”

In other news, Hunt declined to discuss the dispute between the league and its players when it comes to protesting during the national anthem. “There’s really nothing to report,” Hunt said. “Until the league tells us what the policy is Eddie Yarbrough Jersey , there’s nothing really to talk about.”

Hunt did say he’s spoken to the Chiefs individually and collectively about social justice initiatives, and that the organization was willing to provide human resources and financial resources to help players make a difference with causes that they care about.

“That’s not something new for the Chiefs. It’s something that’s been going on here in Kansas City since my dad brought the team here in 1963,” Hunt said. “I’ve challenged the players to go out there and make a difference, and there’s so many that have a great heart and want to spend the time.”

Hunt also said the Chiefs are content with using Missouri Western as their training camp base, even though the majority of NFL franchises now hold camp at their usual practice facility.

Hunt and Reid both like the old-school idea of team-building that occurs at camp, even though it’s only an hours’ drive from Kansas City. Missouri Western has also built and improved its facilities to the point they rival most major colleges and professional franchises.

He also praised the work done by general manager Brett Veach, who has made several controversial moves since taking over last year. Among them was dealing talented but temperamental cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams, a clear attempt at improving the clubhouse culture.

“One thing we really care about as a franchise is the culture and character of the team http://www.washingtonredskinsteamonline.com/brian-quick-jersey ,” Hunt said. “That’s something very important to Brett. As he brought in players in free agency and the draft, he made sure those players would be positive contributors to the character of the football team.”

NOTES: OLs Cam Erving (knee) and Eric Fisher (shoulder) did not practice, nor did LBs Reggie Ragland (knee) and Anthony Hitchens (hamstring). None of the injuries to the four starters is thought to be serious. … CB Keith Reaser (quad), LB Tanoh Kpassagnon (heel) and FS Leon McQuay (hamstring) were limited in practice. It’s unclear if any will play in the preseason opener.

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Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Randy Lee is due in court to face a harassment allegation on July 6 Roger Staubach Jersey , putting him in a position to attend next week’s NHL draft.

Lee is charged with harassing a hotel shuttle driver in Buffalo during the NHL’s pre-draft scouting combine two weeks ago. He was initially scheduled to appear in court on June 22, the day the league holds the first round of its two-day draft in Dallas.

The court date was changed shortly after Lee entered a plea of not guilty to making lewd comments and rubbing the shoulders of a 19-year-old male hotel shuttle driver on May 30.

Lee was charged with second-degree harassment and faces a fine and up to 15 days in jail if guilty.

In an email to the AP Star Lotulelei Jersey , NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league has no position on whether Lee can attend the draft. Daly said that decision was up to the Senators.

The Senators have declined comment since saying on June 1 they were reviewing the situation.

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More NHL hockey: The back of Ryan Tannehill’s left knee brace suggested a new, improved version of the Miami Dolphins‘ quarterback when he took the field Thursday for the first training camp practice.

”TANNEHILL 2.0 Derrius Guice Jersey ,” it read.

”I have so many braces that they had to label them somehow,” Tannehill said. ”I guess that’s how they figured it out.”

Tannehill hasn’t played in 19 months. He missed the entire 2017 season when he tore his ACL in training camp http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/malik-hooker-jersey , and a serious injury to the same knee forced him to miss the final four games in 2016.

Tannehill wasn’t limited during offseason drills and said he has full confidence in his knee.

”I was able to do everything in the spring, and it’s only gotten stronger Da'Ron Payne Jersey ,” he said. ”At this point it’s like nothing ever happened. It’s second nature. You’re not even thinking about it.”

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The Jacksonville Jaguars are bringing back veteran linebacker Lerentee McCray.

McCray signed with the Jaguars on Monday. He had been an unrestricted free agent after signing a one-year deal with Jacksonville in 2017.

McCray says he's "been waiting to find a home and I'm excited to be back here and finish the unfinished business that we left last year."

The 6-foot-3 http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/davante-adams-jersey , 249-pound McCray recorded a career-high nine special teams tackles in 13 games last season. He previously spent time with Buffalo and Green Bay after signing as an undrafted rookie with Denver in 2013.

McCray has played in 50 games over five seasons, notching 28 tackles and three sacks.

McCray won a Super Bowl in 2015 with the Broncos and was a key member of special teams, where he played for current Jaguars special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis.

With the 49 states that currently don’t have sports wagering now able to launch it, the NFL’s word of choice is “integrity.” As sports wagering takes root, the NFL will have another go-to term.

“More.”

Yes Thurman Thomas Jersey , the dormant push for an expanded regular season surely will return, as the NFL realizes that 256 regular-season games will be great for betting — and that 288 will be even greater.

The NFL dropped the issue, at least publicly, once it became clear more games couldn’t be reconciled with the heightened sensitivity to player health and safety. But the issue undoubtedly lingers, with the NFL likely hoping that it will come up organically and naturally as the league and the union begin to negotiate a new CBA in earnest.

Will the NFL Players Association ever go for it? Possibly http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/ty-montgomery-jersey , if it comes with more efforts to enhance player safety. Expanded rosters, for example, would help. And don’t rule out a possibility that first came up several years ago: A total of 18 regular-season games per team, with maximum participation of 16 games per player.

That would incorporate more layers and levels of strategy into the week-to-week marathon, with coaches adopting a suicide-pool mentality to determining the right time to rest key players. Of course http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/ryan-groy-jersey , injuries will help make the decisions easier, with guys who would have missed at least two games anyway having the chance to make up the two games and get to 16. Players who are dinged up but otherwise would be able to play will be more likely to get a game off, especially during the annual short-week game.

However it plays out, the concept of a larger regular season hadn’t died before gambling became something that states could legalize. As that process happens, the urgency to capture two more weeks of TV Tarell Basham Jersey , ticket, and gambling revenue will give both the league and the union an incentive to come up with a way to make it work.

Don’t be surprised if, by 2021 if not sooner, it does.
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The Massachusetts home that once belonged to former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is back on the market for $1.6 million.

An open house for the 8 Randy Gregory Jersey ,100-square-foot home in North Attleborough is scheduled for Sunday.

Current owner Arif Khan bought it from Hernandez's estate for $1 million and made about $100,000 in renovations. Hernandez bought the home in 2012 for $1.3 million.

Khan tells WFXT-TV he hopes people will be more comfortable buying the home from him rather than directly from Hernandez's estate.

The five-bedroom, eight-bathroom home has a movie theater, sauna, gourmet kitchen and saltwater pool.

Hernandez was acquitted of a 2012 double killing in Boston just days before his prison suicide in April 2017. His death erased his 2015 conviction in Odin Lloyd's killing in 2013.

NEW YORK (AP) — Rules changes and national anthem demonstrations seem to have folks inside and outside the NFL obsessed as the opening kickoff of the season approaches.

Yes, the Super Bowl champion Eagles and Atlanta Falcons will open things on Thursday night in Philadelphia. What many folks wonder: Will there be any social injustice protests during “The Star-Spangled Banner?” And if players, coaches and officials will have a handle on the adjustment to use of the helmet in making a hit.

Not to mention the new kickoff rules and, at last, a catch rule that seems to make sense.

Those are enough issues to grab attention away from Philly’s quarterback situation, as well as the progress of the five first-round QB draft choices expected to make their debuts sooner or later.

Or from the return from injuries of Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Watt, Richard Sherman, Deshaun Watson, David Johnson and Odell Beckham Jr. Mason Foster Jersey , to name a few.

Or Jon Gruden’s return to an NFL sideline in Oakland.

Plus, Adam Vinatieri’s pursuit of the career points and field goals marks.

What’s ahead through the penultimate day of the 2018 calendar?

RULE CHANGES

The preseason has been dominated, even overridden, by discussion of and doubts about the “helmet rule.” Basically, any player on offense or defense lowering his head and making contact with any part of the helmet is subject to a 15-yard penalty, a fine, and even an ejection. It’s a player safety adjustment for which “the goal long term is to make the game safer and take out some of these hits that should not be part of the game,” says Giants owner John Mara, a member of the competition committee that recommends rules changes to the owners.

The concerns on many levels focus on players adjusting to the tackling requirements and officials mastering such calls at full speed.

Gene Steratore, who recently retired as an NFL (and college basketball) referee, expects the critical tempest to die down quickly.

“Players will adjust because they are that good,” says Steratore, now an analyst for CBS after 15 seasons in the league. “Officials will, too Rico Gathers Jersey , because they are that good. There will be a learning curve for all of them, but I think in a fast period of time, a trigger moment will come that will show right before that contact if it is worthy of a flag.”

The fix to the phrasing of the catch rule should eliminate the kind of calls — on Jesse James, Dez Bryant et al — many found bogus.

“Control. If it looks like a catch and smells like a catch, it’s a catch,” says Troy Vincent, the NFL’s chief of football operations. “(The rule) had become convoluted: what you should do, what you shouldn’t do. It should be clear as day. So our job was to simplify and we put it in practical terms.”

The other major rule alteration is on kickoffs, where coverage team players no longer can take a running start, and there are regulations on where kick team players can be overall and how they can block.

“This is certainly a way of trying to keep the kickoff in the game and attempting to cut down on high-speed collisions,” Mara says. “There are a lot of us who don’t want to take the kickoff out unless we can’t find ways to make it safer. It is our most dangerous play.”

NATIONAL ANTHEM

Anticipation of whether players will demonstrate during the national anthem again this year is high, fueled in part by reactions from President Trump. Players argue that their message about the need for change in communities nationwide has been misconstrued by the president and his followers, including many team owners.

With the unilateral policy banning players from any on-field protests during the anthem on hold as owners and players discuss the issue, no one can be sure what’s ahead.

Everyone can be sure the topic won’t disappear.

“I think part of the problem is that when you continue the rhetoric that this is controversial or this is somehow a negative thing Ramon Humber Jersey , people treat it as such,” Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins says. “But we’ve seen in other leagues when they’ve decided to amplify the voices of their players to also emphasize the importance of the issues that we’re raising, and change the narrative away from the anthem, that not only is it more acceptable, the fan base gets educated on what we’re talking about, and we can actually make some movement.”

ROOKIE QBS

Before we reach 2019, it’s a near-certainty that Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson will get onto the field. Some likely will be starters, maybe even stamp themselves as stars.

Only in Baltimore, where Joe Flacco is the incumbent, is the rookie (Jackson) a long shot to become the No. 1 quarterback this season. The others — Cleveland’s Mayfield, Buffalo’s Allen Brandon Scherff Jersey , the Jets’ Darnold and Arizona’s Rosen — are with teams considered outsiders in the playoff chase and it makes sense as early as prudent to see if they are the franchise QBs they were drafted to be.

COACHES

New coaches in charge of the Cardinals, Titans, Lions, Giants, Bears and Raiders include four newbies to being in charge: Detroit’s Matt Patricia, Chicago’s Matt Nagy, Tennessee’s Mike Vrabel and Arizona’s Steve Wilks. All of them made their marks as proficient coordinators and bring freshness and toughness to their franchises.

Vrabel, of course, has three Super Bowl rings as a player with New England, which surely earns him some respect in the locker room. If he’s considered a product of the Belichick coaching tree, though, Vrabel could struggle; few of the Patriots co Authentic Womens Danny Shelton Jersey

Barring unforeseen circumstances http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/malik-hooker-jersey , rookie Josh Rosen will begin his first NFL season on the sidelines as Arizona's backup quarterback.

The preseason, though, will be his chance to shine, beginning Saturday night when the Cardinals play at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.

"We want him to play quite a bit and really get into the flow of the game," coach Steve Wilks said.

Rosen said his two weeks of training camp have "gone really well."

"I think I've gotten better pretty much every day since I've gotten here," the former UCLA star said before Wednesday' practice.

Sam Bradford is Arizona's starter but the Cardinals view Rosen as their franchise quarterback of the future. Why else would they have moved up five spots in the draft to pluck him 10th overall?

Asked for specific areas of improvement since he became a pro, Rosen cites "a bunch of things."

"The most tangible is probably the playbook," he said. "I feel a lot more comfortable and fluid with it at the line of scrimmage. I'm focusing more and more with what the defense is trying to do to me rather than making sure I get the right snap count and in the right protection."

He said he's also picking up "the little things on how to use the double-cadence to try and buy yourself time and get someone offside, just little tricks of the trade I didn't know when I was in college."

From the beginning Bradford and Rosen seem to have gotten along well.

"Sam's actually really good with all those little things," Rosen said. "He's a crafty vet and very successful for a lot of different reasons. He might not share every reason with me, but I'll take advantage of the ones that he does."

Bradford said Rosen "asks the right questions."

"He's hungry for information," Bradford said. "It seems like he's always trying to learn something. It doesn't stop in the meeting rooms. Even at the dinner table he'll ask me.

"It's fun to be around someone like that and to hopefully try to be able to help him. I share with him some of the experiences I've had http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/johnthan-banks-jersey , some of the things I've learned over the years. Hopefully it can relate to him and can help him in some way."

Wilks wouldn't say how much Rosen will play on Saturday night but it will be long enough to do some serious evaluation.

"The mechanics of really running the offense," Wilks said, "putting guys in the right position from a protection standpoint, going through his progression and reads and really just trying to detail the fundamentals."

Rosen is running second on the depth chart, ahead of Mike Glennon, who also figures to play a lot Saturday.

Early in camp, Rosen said he was thinking too much.

"I think I've gotten a lot better since then and continue to each day," he said. "The less thinking you can do, the more you can allow yourself to physically do what I've been doing since Pop Warner, and play the game I know."

As a big-name rookie quarterback, Rosen knows his every move will be scrutinized by fans and critics.

"It's part of the game," he said. "I stay relatively offline for the most part. The most pressure I feel from anyone is myself. I'm very http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/ezekiel-elliott-jersey , very highly self-critical, almost too much at times. There's no pressure that should be greater than my own."

There's no changing his throwing style either, which includes an occasional sidearm toss on a bubble screen.

"It's not just how hard or far you can throw it," Rosen said. "It's being able to change your arm slot and delivery. I think Aaron (Rodgers) is the best at it because sort of like mid-throw, your ability to throw sidearm to fit a quick screen in there or just kind of contort your body to get halfback screens and stuff in there."

No one has tried to alter that style, he said.

"They drafted me for what I can do and I'm here to deliver that," Rosen said.

He said he's made preparation for the NFL a day-by-day process.

"Right now I'm fully in work mode," he said. "I'm trying to be the best that I can be and over the course of my career I'm trying to win Super Bowls. And right now I'm trying to put my best foot forward in this preseason game."

On the morning of June 18 two years ago, the Atlanta Braves were 21-46. Now they’re atop the NL East.

Atlanta has turned its stocked farm system into a major league contender faster than expected, and after Sunday’s 4-1 win over San Diego, the Braves lead second-place Washington by 3 1/2 games. At 42-29, they’re even with Milwaukee for the National League’s best record and look poised to be a factor in what should be an entertaining race for that league’s five postseason spots.

After three straight seasons with at least 90 losses http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/kendall-wright-jersey , Atlanta is making a jump similar to what Minnesota did a season ago, when the Twins improved from 59 wins to 85 and earned a wild card.

If you’re worried Atlanta is a fluke, there aren’t many obvious red flags. The Braves have a run differential of plus-67, the second-best mark in the NL. They’ve been fortunate at times (11-4 in one-run games) and unfortunate at times (1-6 in extra innings).

The Braves are second in the NL in OPS after finishing 11th a year ago. Their ERA has improved from 12th to fifth. They have an MVP candidate in slugger Freddie Freeman, and 21-year-old second baseman Ozzie Albies has 16 home runs. Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. is on the disabled list after a knee injury, but he’s been considered one of the game’s top prospects. Shortstop Dansby Swanson, the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft, has improved his OPS from .636 a season ago to .737.

That formula – Freeman surrounded by young standouts – could serve the Braves well for a while, and Atlanta has also received a lift from some older contributors. Nick Markakis is hitting .327, and Anibal Sanchez is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA for the Braves after signing a minor league contract before the season.

In November, Atlanta was hit with major penalties for circumventing international signing rules. That might hurt the Braves in the future, but it doesn’t seem to have had much of an effect on their ability to compete in 2018.

Other developments from around the majors:

MIDSEASON RUN

The Dodgers are 11-3 in June and have recovered from their poor start. They now trail Arizona by just 1 1/2 games atop the NL West.

Los Angeles can hope this season is following a similar trajectory to 2017 Vernon Davis Jersey , when the Dodgers went 21-7 in June on their way to 104 wins.

HIGHLIGHT

If you’re concerned about pace of play in baseball, you probably weren’t crazy about Joe Maddon’s maneuvering Wednesday. Maddon began the bottom of the eighth by bringing Steve Cishek in to pitch for the Cubs. After a single, Brian Duensing came on to pitch, but Cishek stayed in the game in left field. That enabled Cishek to go back to the mound one out later, with Duensing taking over in left. Duensing eventually went back to pitch and finished out the inning.

It was a clever way for Maddon to keep both pitchers available throughout the inning, but Chicago still lost 1-0 to Milwaukee.

LINE OF THE WEEK

San Diego’s Freddy Galvis went 5 for 5, including a three-run homer, in a 9-3 win over Atlanta on Friday night. Galvis drove in four runs in the game.

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Of the 17 referees on the NFL’s payroll during the 2017 season Mike Ditka Jersey , four of them have now left. Does that leave the NFL with a referee problem?

It’s a fair question to ask as the 2018 season approaches. While the departures of Ed Hochuli and Jeff Triplette had been known for months, the bang-bang retirements of Terry McAulay and Gene Steratore in recent days, reportedly to work at NBC and CBS respectively, is jarring. And the moves raise legitimately questions as to whether something has gone haywire with the NFL’s officiating department, whether more referees will leave, and whether the replacements will be good enough.

Six years ago, the Commissioner stridently boasted that replacement officials would perform as well as the locked-out black-and-white-stripers who wanted more green than the NFL would give them. Reality proved the Commissioner quite wrong, culminating in the embarrassment that was the Fail Mary.

Three days after the Seahawks beat the Packers thanks to a blatant case of offensive pass interference on the game’s last play, the “A” team was back, led by the swagger of Steratore, who’s Thursday night strut for a Browns-Ravens game let everyone know that, indeed, there’s a palpable difference between the best officials in football and those who aren’t.

With Steratore now gone (along with McAulay Allen Robinson Jersey , Hoculi, and Triplette), the NFL will be facing a real test. And the stakes are higher than ever, since there will be actual, legal stakes on the games.

And it could have been worse. Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reported that Clete Blakeman also auditioned for the NBC gig that went to McAulay. If ESPN hadn’t hired Triplette (who already had retired, and who many fans won’t miss), maybe Blakeman would have gotten one of the three recently-filled network gigs.

And maybe now the report that the NFL nudged ESPN to hire Triplette makes more sense. Maybe it wasn’t about helping Tripllette; maybe it was about helping the NFL not lose yet another referee as a new season approaches.

And maybe the NFL now needs to worry about possibly losing more referees after the coming season concludes.

WESTFIELD, Ind. (AP) — Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III spent most of their football careers going head to head.

The two high-profile Texas prep stars were both recruited by Stanford, finished one-two in the 2011 Heisman Trophy race, went first and second in the 2012 NFL draft and were the top two vote-getters in the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year balloting.

Now, the 28-year-old quarterbacks find themselves in an odd place — rooting for each another’s comebacks.

“You know it seems like the combine was just yesterday,” Griffin said after the first of two joint practices on the final weekend of training camp.

“He’s always going to be the geeky guy and I’m always going to be the guy who wears the goofy socks.”

Maybe those sentiments sound strange coming from two guys who were supposed to join the long list of memorable rivals.

But fate, as it sometimes does L. P. Ladouceur Jersey , changed everything.

Instead of becoming fierce foes, Griffin and Luck developed a mutual admiration for each another’s work. They respect one another so much that Luck even took a moment during a brief stoppage at practice to jog over and give Griffin a hug.

“He’s a really good guy. He’s a Texas guy, so we have some links there,” Luck said earlier this week. “I got to know him at the Heisman and then the combine and draft. I’ve always been a big fan. Our families got to know each other a fair bit. I’m excited to see him.”

Much has changed since these two last threw passes on the same field, six years ago in one of the few highly anticipated preseason games, pitting the seemingly can’t-miss prospects.

Luck was considered the polished, establishment guy, who learned the game from his NFL-playing father, who was groomed in Stanford’s pro-style offense had a resume that resembled Peyton Manning’s.

Griffin was the flashy new guy with plenty of upside, legs that were supposed to be as difficult to stop as his arm, who could make any offense high octane and who took home four of college football’s most prized trophies in 2011.

Both began with a bang.

Luck led the Colts to the playoffs each of his first three seasons, made the Pro Bowl each year and helped lead the Colts one step deeper in the playoffs each successive year, culminating with an AFC championship game appearance following the 2014 season.

Griffin countered by leading the Redskins to their first playoff appearance in five years Chase Daniel Jersey , drawing praise from President Barack Obama and making the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

Then things suddenly went awry.

Griffin sprained a ligament in his right knee in December 2012, but was cleared by doctors in time to return for the final two regular-season games and the playoff game against Seattle. During the fourth quarter of the loss to the Seahawks, Griffin’s knee gave out and he wound up needing surgery for two torn ligaments and a torn meniscus.

“I don’t think about the past because otherwise I can’t stay in the present,” Griffin said. “I’m a football player. If they tell me I can go, I’m going to go.”

He was never the same. Since starting 9-7, he is just 6-19 as a starter.

Griffin lost the starting spot in Washington three times over the next three seasons and finally signed with Cleveland in 2016, where he spent most of the season on injured reserve with a fractured bone in his left shoulder. He still holds the distinction as the most recent starting quarterback to lead the Browns to a victory on Dec. 24, 2016.

The Browns released Griffin in March 2017 — before he collected a $750,000 roster bonus — and he was out of football all of last season.

“It was hard, very hard,” Griffin said. “But the Ravens gave me an opportunity and I’m here to make the most of this opportunity.”

Luck, meanwhile, dealt with other obstacles.

He injured his right shoulder in the third game of the 2015 season Richard Dent Jersey , ending a starting streak of 57 consecutive games.

Luck finished his fourth pro season on injured reserve with a lacerated kidney, played through the continual pain in his right shoulder in 2016 then opted for surgery on a partially torn labrum in January 2017. The recovery cost him all of last season.

The Colts missed the playoffs all three of those years and now he’s finally back, looking to find his pre-surgery form.

“I know he was just hurting,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “When you miss that much football, you start questioning everything. For him to be back out here has to be a joy for him.”

Luck will continue lining up behind center for the second joint practice Saturday and likely for more than a quarter in Monday night’s game.

Griffin, meanwhile, is trying to restart his career by winning a job behind Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco and first-round draft pick and Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, meaning Griffin and Luck could be watching each other’s comebacks.

“I’m always root for quarterbacks,” Griffin said. “I really hope he (Luck) comes back and not just to the level he was before but to the level the Colts expect.”

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For the first time in 30 years Andrew Luck Jersey , the U.S. Marine Corps will air an ad during the Super Bowl, using an online-only spot Sunday to target a young, tough, tech-savvy audience for potential recruits looking for a challenge.

The high-powered, battle-heavy, 30-second ad shows Marines deploying from ships in amphibious vehicles, dropping bombs from aircraft and hurling a shoulder-launched drone into the air.

”It’s not just the ships, the armor or the aircraft. It’s something more. It’s the will to fight and determination to win found inside each and every Marine that answers a nation’s call http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/jimmy-graham-jersey ,” the announcer says, as the camera follows a squad of Marines storming off helicopters into a mock firefight while explosions erupt around them.

The goal, said Maj. Gen. Paul Kennedy, head of the Marine Corps Recruiting Command, is to reach young men and women who have faced and conquered challenges in their life, probably played physical sports such as wrestling or rugby, and have a bit of that fighting spirit.

Network television viewers of the game won’t see the Marine spot. But those watching through online streaming services – which charge a fraction of the advertising price – will see it twice.

”I’m not trying to enlist fathers or mothers, I’m trying to enlist 18- to 24-year-olds Jamison Crowder Jersey ,” said Kennedy. ”And they tend to be cord cutters. They take in entertainment differently and they tend to do it on a device rather than a television.”

The Marine Corps would not provide the exact cost because the specific pricing is proprietary. But the online ad represents a savings of nearly 85 percent over the broadcast price. Thirty-second slots are going for more than $5 million for broadcast airtime alone. And the online ad – which can be viewed on The Los Angeles Rams have agreed to trade linebacker Alec Ogletree to the New York Giants for two draft picks, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because NFL trades can't be announced until March 14. ESPN first reported the deal.

Los Angeles gets the Giants' fourth-round and sixth-round picks in the 2018 draft. The NFC West champion Rams also will send a seventh-round pick in 2019 to the Giants along with Ogletree, their defensive captain and last season's leading tackler.

Ogletree has spent his entire five-year NFL career with the Rams, who drafted him out of Georgia in the first round in 2013. He led their defense in tackles during four of his five seasons, only failing to do so in 2015 when he played in just four games due to a broken leg.

He had 95 tackles and two sacks last season while moving into coordinator Wade Phillips' 3-4 defensive scheme. He also provided leadership on the defense, both during the Rams' turbulent relocation season from St. Louis and again last season, when they ended their 12-year playoff drought.

Ogletree signed a four-year, $42.7 million extension with the Rams just last October Charles Mann Jersey , getting $30 million in guaranteed money.

While Ogletree is a speedy linebacker who has been quite productive, he has been an inconsistent tackler at times, and he never appeared to be an ideal fit in Phillips' defense.

Ogletree also was a key player in the Rams' spotty run defense. Los Angeles finished last season fifth-worst in the NFL at stopping the run, allowing 122.3 yards rushing per game and frequently struggling with stops between the tackles, where Ogletree needed to shine.

Ogletree will fill the Giants' need for quality veteran linebackers as they rebuild from their 3-13 season, arguably the worst in franchise history. Starting linebackers Devon Kennard and defensive captain Jonathan Casillas could leave as free agents.

The Giants had two fourth-round picks in the upcoming draft, including a compensatory selection.

Despite their overall success last season under coach Sean McVay, the Rams clearly are reconfiguring their defense in Phillips' preferred image while clearing salary cap space. That room is likely to be used in part to sign AP Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald to a lucrative long-term extension.

Los Angeles already agreed to trade linebacker Robert Quinn to Miami last week Kyle Long Jersey , and starting linebacker Connor Barwin is a free agent.

The Rams agreed last month to acquire cornerback Marcus Peters in a trade with Kansas City, and Los Angeles also used its franchise tag on safety Lamarcus Joyner. Those moves likely mean top cornerback Trumaine Johnson will leave as a free agent.

The trade of Ogletree seemingly improves the chances for the Rams to keep fellow veteran linebacker Mark Barron, who carries a $28 million salary cap hit over the next three seasons. He is due a $2 million roster bonus next week.

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Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and former Cowboys player personnel director Gil Brandt are the contributor nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

Five members of the contributor committee met for more than five hours before selecting the two candidates from a list of 10 finalists. Bowlen and Brandt will join seniors nominee Johnny Robinson on the final ballot http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/lance-kendricks-jersey , along with five modern-era candidates.

The 48 selectors will meet on the Saturday before Super Bowl LIII, with all finalists needing 80 percent affirmation to be elected.

Bowlen, who has Alzheimer’s, is entering his 35th season as the Broncos’ owner with three Super Bowl victories. He also played a big part on several prominent NFL committees.

David Baker, the president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, called Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis to deliver the news.

“Wow http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/dion-sims-jersey ,” Ellis said. “A big moment for him, his family and everybody in Broncos Country. I’m sitting here with [former Broncos player] Steve Atwater. We’re sitting right outside Pat’s house. I’m going to let Steve tell him.

“. . . It’s overwhelming news and very, very exciting.”

Brandt worked for the Cowboys from 1960-89 and continues to work for NFL.com and SiriusXM NFL Radio.

“Well, I might drive off the highway,” Brandt said. “I’m excited. I’m lost for words, and that doesn’t happen very often. This Maliek Collins Jersey , without question, is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me in my life.”
Bob Costas won’t be working the Super Bowl for NBC next month.

The longtime broadcaster was not included in the network’s lineup for the NFL title game telecast from Minneapolis on Feb. 4, leading to speculation that Costas’ comments about head injuries in football might have affected the decision.

Dan Patrick and Liam McHugh will host the broadcast.

An NBC Sports spokesperson said: ”Dan and Liam have served as hosts for our NFL pregame/studio shows on Sunday nights and Thursday nights, respectively, throughout the season and will continue on Super Bowl Sunday.”

Costas said: ”Dan and Liam have done the job hosting NBC’s NFL coverage all season. It wouldn’t be right for me to parachute in and do the Super Bowl.”

When he stepped down as host of the Olympics last February, Costas was expected to keep his Super Bowl duties because Mike Tirico Travis Frederick Jersey , his Olympic replacement, would be in South Korea.

Costas hosted NBC’s Super Bowl pregame coverage in 1986, 1989, 1993, 2009, 2012 and 2015.

During an appearance at the University of Maryland in November Earnest Byner Jersey , he said of football: ”the reality is that this game destroys people’s brains.”

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The Buffalo Bills are keeping their training camp at St. John Fisher College in suburban Rochester.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer says Friday he's been assured by the NFL team there are no plans to make a change. The Bills have four years left on the current agreement.

Questions were raised over the future of the camp's location since the resignation of team president Russ Brandon this month. Brandon attended St. John Fisher and brought the Bills camp there from Fredonia in 2000 in a move to expand the fan base.

Bills President Kim Pegula calls the Rochester area an important market for the team. Preparations are already underway for camp at St. John Fisher this summer.


As the Browns search for a left tackle to replace future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/jaire-alexander-jersey , the best option could be hiding right next door.

Left guard Joel Bitonio, a Pro Bowl alternate in 2017, took some snaps at left tackle during the offseason program, and the door vaguely seems to be open on more of the same.

“We put Joel and Chris [Hubbard] over there for a few snaps because this is the time to do it Jake Ryan Jersey ,” offensive line coach Bob Wylie recently said regarding the offseason workouts, via Dan Labbe of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “It’s the time to experiment. Once you get into camp you get more zeroed in on the guys who will actually play.”

So could it be Bitonio?

“Just because you’re the best guy doesn’t mean you’re in the best spot,” Wylie said. “Joel is an elite left guard. Could he play tackle? Sure, but it would take a while for him to learn the nuances. If he’s the best lineman Jack Doyle Jersey , is he really the best left tackle? Not necessarily.”

Bitonio, who received a contract extension under the premise that he’s a guard not a tackle, seems to be willing to do whatever the team wants.

“Anything they need I’m willing to give a try, but I think right now the plan is to find a guy to play left tackle Geoff Swaim Jersey , and I’m going to stick right at left guard,” Bitonio recently said.

Shon Coleman is expected to open training camp at the top option at left tackle. Where it goes from there remains to be seen, but if they could find a left guard who plays well enough in place of Bitonio, the best move for the short- and long-term could be to slide Bitonio to the outside.

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