Over five seasons as ace of the Pittsburgh Pirates Roger Staubach Jersey , Gerrit Cole threw one of the game’s hardest, heaviest fastballs, and he threw it often. The pitch helped him make millions of dollars. It put him in contention for major awards. Hitters swung through it again and again, and Cole seemed content not to mess with a good thing.

But when Cole was traded to the Houston Astros this offseason, a funny thing happened. He became more frugal with his fastball and ended up more overpowering than ever.

Cole has joined some of the game’s best pitchers – including Cleveland’s Corey Kluber and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw – in benefiting from a puzzling baseball paradox: In an era when pitchers are throwing harder than ever, they’re maximizing success by using fewer fastballs.

Pitchers – even ones with blazing fastballs like Luis Severino and Chris Archer – are using more offspeed than ever recorded, and while many aces think the downturn is a trend, some believe baseball could be entering a new age dominated not by 100 mph heaters, but by a steady stream of breaking balls and changeups.

So why is the hardest-throwing generation of pitchers ever going the way of the junk-baller?

Depends who you ask, but one culprit stands out to Cole, Kluber and Kershaw: baseball’s swing-changing batters.

”You can call it launch angle, or you can call it the upper cuts,” Cole said. ”There are a lot of swings that are dictating breaking balls.”

Cole’s move away from a fastball-first approach is striking given the reputation of his hardest pitch. He topped out at 99 mph as an ace at UCLA, and his fastball was the headliner on a resume that earned him an $8 million signing bonus as the first overall draft pick in 2011 by Pittsburgh. Under the guidance of Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage Michael Gallup Jersey , Cole pounded the bottom of the strike zone with that heater, and for years, it worked. He was an All-Star and finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2015, and was considered among the game’s most overpowering starting pitchers.

Then baseball’s flyball revolution took flight – a movement of hitters using upper-cut swings designed to crush exactly the kinds of sinking fastballs Cole was delivering. After never allowing more than 11 home runs in a season, Cole was tagged for 31 last year.

So it was time to change things up.

From 2013-17, Cole threw his fastball 65 percent of the time – well above the league average. But this year, he’s cut that fastball rate by about 10 points, replacing those heaters with sliders and curveballs. The new look is working. Cole is 8-1 with a 2.59 ERA through 15 starts and leads the American League with 138 strikeouts.

”I think you’re just continually trying to mess timing up, especially when guys are trying to slug,” Cole said. ”When they’re trying to hit it out of the park every time, you have an easier time changing speeds.”

Kluber and Kershaw have made similar adjustments in the past couple years. Both Cy Young winners rank among the league leaders in fewest fastballs thrown this season.

”Guys are geared up to swing for a fastball,” Kluber said. ”I guess it’s almost rare now to see somebody actually, like, go the other way with the breaking ball.”

Kluber has set a career low with a fastball rate of 41.8 percent this season. Same for Kershaw Boomer Esiason Jersey , who has dropped from a 72-percent fastball clip in 2010 all the way to 42.8 percent in an injury-hampered 2018.

”The hitters tell you what you need to do,” Kershaw said. ”And for me, I guess it’s been throwing a lot more breaking balls.”

Cole, Kluber and Kershaw suspect the tide will turn back, perhaps soon, once hitters recalibrate to the number of four-seam fastballs pitchers are throwing up in the strike zone.

But Trevor Bauer, Kluber’s analytically-minded teammate in Cleveland, thinks the offspeed uptick is only going to spread.

Two years ago, Bauer and Indians closer Cody Allen watched as 6-foot-8 Yankees fireballer Dellin Betances carved up Cleveland’s hitters with a fastball that averaged 98 mph. Allen – no slouch himself with a fastball around 94 mph – told Bauer that if he could throw hard like Betances, he wouldn’t even bother with a breaking ball.

”No,” Bauer recalled telling Allen. ”He should never throw a fastball.”

Bauer’s theory is that the threat of a 100 mph fastball might be more dangerous to hitters than the fastballs themselves.

”As guys throw harder, guys have less and less time to hit that offering,” Bauer said. ”So they have to speed up in order to catch up to it, which Carl Nassib Jersey , that makes the breaking ball more effective.”

Hitters are left picking between two nasty poisons – risk being behind on triple-digit fastballs, or jeopardize taking ugly swings on breaking pitches as they dart out of the strike zone.

Veteran slugger Todd Frazier was with the Yankees last year when New York’s hard-throwing bullpen led by Betances, Aroldis Chapman and Chad Green overpowered hitters while also posting the lowest fastball rate in the majors.

”I have to set my feet for 98 mph, and understand I might get 84-88 mph slider,” said Frazier, now with the New York Mets. ”It makes it tougher on you.”

And yet, Frazier and his fellow hitters aren’t close to jumping off their fastball-first approach.

”The baseline of hitting is the fastball,” Mets teammate Jay Bruce said. ”You have to stay on the fastball. For me personally, that’s what my timing of th The Alex Smith era has begun in Washington as the Redskins completed their trade for the veteran quarterback.

Smith joined the Redskins from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller. The deal and Smith’s subsequent four-year contract extension were agreed to in February but couldn’t become official until Wednesday’s start of the new league year.

”I just wanted to say how excited and happy I am to be part of the Redskins team,” Smith said in a video posted on Washington’s Twitter account. ”Can’t wait to build something great together.”

Smith replaces Kirk Cousins as the Redskins’ No. 1 quarterback. Cousins spent the past three seasons as Washington’s starter and played the past two on the franchise tag. He is being courted by the Minnesota Vikings.

”I have a tremendous amount of respect for Alex and what he was able to accomplish with us these past five seasons,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. ”He put every ounce of energy into making our football team better and I appreciate his leadership and how he came to work with the right attitude every day.”

Smith, who turns 34 in May, led the Chiefs to four playoff appearances in the past five years, throwing for 102 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. He carries a $17 million salary-cap hit for 2018.

The Redskins are expected to introduce Smith at a news conference Thursday with senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams and coach Jay Gruden. Less than 90 minutes after the trade was official Kevin Johnson Jersey , No. 11 Smith jerseys were seen at Redskins stores in the D.C. area.

At the scouting combine in Indianapolis, Gruden said it was time to move on from Cousins and find some continuity at quarterback. Cousins wrote a farewell ode to the Redskins on his website, thanking owner Dan Snyder, team president Bruce Allen, Gruden and former coach Mike Shanahan, among others.

”Just like you never fully leave your hometown – you never fully leave your first NFL team, especially after six seasons,” Cousins wrote. ”My family and I will always have a piece of Washington deep in our hearts. I arrived as a single, 23-year-old from the Midwest – with a lot to learn and prove. I now leave as a husband of four years to my wife, Julie, and a father to my son, Cooper – but still with lots to learn and prove.”

—

AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed.

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It's expected considering the fact that all surviving players gravitate towards one time in the map, yet still, it's actually a shame that performance drops begin working at the most crucial points within the game.

In its defence, this doesn't happen each time - the positioning and volume of players play a vital role here.

It's clear that dynamic resolution scaling only keeps the game's frame-rate under control to a point; whole shootouts in complex spots like Fortnite Items Tilted Towers run at about 25fps.

The for the worst situation? You're looking at 20-30fps performance in docked mode when any real action commences, and taking advantage of Switch to be a portable follows precisely the same pattern.

Equally, drops in this way are generally harder to identify on Switch's smaller screen, once the system is used as being a pure handheld.


Performance on Switch when compared with Fortnite Skins for sale Xbox One X - or indeed the opposite current-gen consoles versions - is sobering.

Even Microsoft's top-end hardware can't manage a perfect lock at 60fps, and you will expect drops to 50fps once the going gets really tough.

Chicago Cubs left-hander Jose Quintana did not want to be leave the game his last time out Andy Janovich Jersey , but he did. Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Castillo does not want the ball to keep leaving the ballpark against him, but it does.

The NL Central rival Cubs and Reds continue their four-game weekend series at Great American Ball Park with an interesting matchup of two pitchers who have done well against their Friday night opponent yet are struggling of late.

Quintana (6-5) was nearly flawless his last time out against the Reds, limiting them to a Scott Schebler single over seven innings while striking out seven and walking four during a 10-0 victory in the second game of a May 19 doubleheader.

In the first game of that doubleheader, Castillo (4-8) didn’t get the decision as the Reds won 5-4 in 11 innings, but he held the Cubs to one run on six hits despite walking six in five innings. He is 0-0 in two career starts against Chicago with an impressive 0.82 ERA while limiting them to eight hits over 11 innings.

Similarly, Quintana is very good against the Reds, going 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA while striking out 16 in 16 2-3 innings over three career starts. He could use another good start Friday, as the Reds ran their winning streak to four games they’ve won seven of nine by overcoming a two-run deficit to beat Chicago 6-2 on Thursday night.

That’s what’s good for the two starting pitchers. Here’s what’s bad.

Quintana is winless in his last three starts, and he was lifted Sunday from a scoreless game against the Cardinals after two runners reached in the sixth. They came around to score against the Cubs bullpen, and Quintana ended up taking the loss as St. Louis went on to win 5-0.

“All the time, I wanted to keep going,” said Quintana Colton Schmidt Jersey , who was removed after throwing 86 pitches. “I feel like I pitched really good. It’s a tough game, zero-zero.”

Most of the Reds’ top batters struggle against Quintana

Eugenio Suarez is 1-for-9 (.111), Scooter Gennett is 1-for-8 (.125) and Joey Votto is 2-for-8 (.250).

Castillo also hasn’t been able to win lately, losing his last four starts while giving up an alarming six home runs and 16 earned runs over 20 2-3 innings. His velocity is down from his rookie season a year ago, and his ERA is way up from 3.12 to 5.77.

Too many of his pitches have been going up and out of the ballpark and he leads the NL with 17 homers allowed while going winless since May 24.

In his last start Saturday, a 6-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Castillo gave up two homers among his six hits allowed over five innings, one of them on a 93-mph fastball to Elias Diaz. A year ago, Castillo often touched 100 mph with a four-seam fastball that averaged 97.4 mph.

“I’m trying to do my best,” Castillo said through an interpreter. “Every time I go out there, I give up like one or two home runs. I really don’t know what’s happening right now. I’m just going to keep working down in the bullpen (between starts).”

Castillo’s slump, and his apparent velocity drop Jordan Howard Jersey , are concerning to the Reds because he was 3-0 in his previous four starts before beginning his slide.

Castillo’s low ERA against the Cubs is reflected in some of their top hitters lack of success against him. Javier Baez is 0-for-5 (.000) and Anthony Rizzo is 1-for-6 (.167).?

The Cubs didn’t do much offensively Thursday, either, as right-hander Matt Harvey (2-5) made the best of his eight starts with the Reds, holding Chicago to two runs and five hits over six innings. He struck out six and walked only one.

“He was really good. He just shut them down,” Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said. “He’s getting better and better.”

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks (5-7) breezed through the first five innings without giving up a run but was lifted after walking Suarez with the bases loaded to force in a run. Left-handed reliever Randy Rosario promptly gave up the first career grand slam by the left-handed hitting Jesse Winker, and the Reds added one more run in the inning.

“Some really great at-bats in the inning,” Riggleman said. “And the big hit speaks for itself.”

The loss dropped the Cubs one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.

If the football federations follow FIFA’s guidance, the 2026 World Cup should be awarded to the North American bid on Wednesday.

Success for Morocco relies on the electorate to follow the trend of recent hosting decisions and vote for a risky bid facing doubts about the ability to pull off the vast reconstruction project required to stage soccer’s showpiece.

The 16 stadiums proposed by the joint United States-Canada-Mexico bid already exist and only need minor upgrades over eight years.

All 14 Moroccan venues must be built or renovated as part of the $16 billion investment in new infrastructure the African nation says is required.

FIFA’s inspection reports highlighted three ”high-risk” elements to Morocco’s bid: stadiums, hotels and transport.

NEW YORK (AP) – Manchester United has been rated by Forbes as the world’s most valuable soccer team for the second straight year.

The team’s worth increased to $4.12 billion from $3.69 billion a year ago and ranked just ahead of Real Madrid ($4.09 billion) and Barcelona ($4.06 billion).

The magazine says Manchester United had nearly twice as much operating income as any other soccer team.

Rounding out the top five are Bayern Munich ($3.06 billion) and Manchester City ($2.47 billion).

Eight of the top 20 are English teams. Forbes attributes the dominance to the Premier League’s lucrative broadcasting deals.

Forbes says most of the appreciation of club value is because of the decline in the U.S. dollar relative to the Euro since last year.

BASEBALL

DETROIT (AP) – The Detroit Tigers lost much more than a game Tuesday night.

Miguel Cabrera ruptured his left biceps tendon in the third inning of a 6-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins and will have season-ending surgery later this week.

”This is obviously a very sad day for Miggy and for the entire ballclub,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. ”It is obviously a huge blow to the team, both on and off the field, but we will have to find a way to overcome it.”

Gardenhire said Cabrera’s status for the 2019 season won’t be known until after the operation. He still has $154 million left on a contract that runs through 2023.

Cabrera swung awkwardly at Jake Odorizzi’s slider and immediately walked to the dugout with his arm limply at his side. When he was joined by team trainers Brandin Cooks Jersey , the slugger gestured to his biceps and continued walking into the Detroit clubhouse.

HOCKEY

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – The wife of Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson has filed an order of protection against the girlfriend of one of Karlsson’s teammates, alleging harassment and cyberbullying.

In an application for a peace bond filed May 4 in an Ottawa court, Melinda Karlsson alleges that Monika Caryk posted hundreds of derogatory online messages aimed at her and her husband. Caryk is the longtime partner of Senators forward Mike Hoffman.

”Monika Caryk has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead,” Karlsson said in the sworn statement. The Karlssons’ first child, a son named Axel, was stillborn in March.

The Ottawa Citizen was first to report on the allegations.

Karlsson also claimed that Caryk ”uttered that she wished I was dead and that someone should `take out’ my husband’s legs to `end his career.’

ATHLETE ABUSE

LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley on Tuesday signed two bills inspired by the Larry Nassar scandal, including one giving childhood sexual abuse victims more time to sue.

The current cutoff to file a lawsuit in Michigan is generally a minor victim’s 19th birthday, which critics say is out of step with other states and does not account for how many victims are afraid to report abuse or have suppressed it. Starting in three months, people who were sexually abused as children will be able to sue until their 28th birthdays or three years from when they realize they have been abused. Victims of Nassar, the imprisoned former sports doctor who worked for Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics Dede Westbrook Jersey , will get a 90-day window to sue retroactively.

As part of a $500 million settlement with Michigan State, his hundreds of accusers agreed to withdraw their support for legislation that would have eliminated the immunity defense in lawsuits for entities that are negligent in the hiring, supervision or training of employees, or if the governmental agencies knew or should have known and failed to report sexual misconduct to law enforcement.

PRO FOOTBALL

ST. LOUIS (AP) – A jury in St. Louis ordered the NFL’s Rams to pay former running back Reggie Bush $12.5 million for a severe knee injury he suffered in 2015, the team’s final season in St. Louis before moving to Los Angeles.

The jury found the Rams 100 percent liable for Bush’s injury and ordered the team to pay $4.95 million in compensatory damages and $7.5 million in punitive damages, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Attorneys for the Rams said they plan to file a motion for a new trial.

Bush was playing for the San Francisco 49ers when he was pushed out of bounds during a game on Nov. 1, 2015, at what was then the Edward Jones Dome, now known as the Dome at America’s Center. He slipped on a surface that the lawsuit dubbed the ”concrete ring of death,” about 35 feet (11 meters) behind the 49ers’ bench.

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A former NFL linebacker's career was cut short after authorities in New Jersey fabricated evidence linking him to a gun used in a shooting Bruce Smith Jersey , the player alleged in a lawsuit filed this week.

The Elizabeth police department and Union County prosecutor's office "willfully ignored and were deliberately indifferent to overwhelming evidence" that Khaseem Greene hadn't provided the weapon used in a shooting outside a nightclub in Elizabeth in December 2016, Greene says in the suit.

The Kansas City Chiefs released Greene in May of last year, the day charges against him were reported.

Two months later, a gun charge against Greene was dropped after an audio recording surfaced of the accused shooter telling detectives he lied about Greene's involvement in the shooting.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses the police and prosecutor's office of "simultaneously manufacturing and fabricating false evidence in order to charge Plaintiff with a crime he did not commit."

A spokesman for the county prosecutor's office declined comment Thursday. A message left at the Elizabeth police department wasn't immediately returned.

The 29-year-old Greene is an Elizabeth native who was a Big East defensive player of the year while at Rutgers. He appeared in a total of 25 games for the Chicago Bears in the 2013 and 2014 seasons, starting six games at linebacker.

The lawsuit charges numerous counts including civil rights violations Christian McCaffrey Jersey , false arrest and imprisonment, malicious prosecution, negligence and defamation. It seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages, including for past and future economic loss.

It also seeks the appointment of an independent monitor to oversee the Elizabeth police department.

According to the lawsuit, the man charged with the shooting Joe Thomas Jersey , a career criminal with more than 20 prior arrests and six felony convictions, admitted he lied about getting the gun from Greene during an interview with police after his arrest in late December 2016.

Nevertheless, authorities went ahead and charged Greene, citing surveillance video that allegedly showed Greene handing the gun to the man. No such video existed, the lawsuit alleges.

Greene last August said the legal trouble has been "probably the toughest time of my life" and has been "very hard emotionally and mentally."

"People started looking at me differently and accusing me of being this thug Brian Dawkins Jersey , this monster, and all of it was false," he said by phone.

The suit names the Elizabeth Police Department and the Union County Prosecutor's Office as well as individuals in both offices.


Terrance West won’t be part of the Saints’ plan to fill in for Mark Ingram during the first four games of the regular season.

According to multiple reports, the Saints are releasing West. West signed with the team in June after working out along with other veteran free agent backs.

West opened last season as the starter in Baltimore and ran for 80 yards in the opener, but slumped from there and then missed the final 11 games of the year after hurting his calf. West spent three years with the Ravens overall and had his most productive season in 2016 with 1 Kerry Hyder Jersey ,010 yards from scrimmage.

With West off the roster, the Saints will be choosing from Alvin Kamara, Shane Vereen, Jonathan Williams and Boston Scott as options while Ingram serves his four-game suspension.

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New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman says the aggressive cancer he was diagnosed with last month is in remission.

Speaking to the media for the first time since the Giants disclosed in early June that he had lymphoma Shane Lechler Jersey , Gettleman said Friday he’s had four rounds of chemotherapy and will need another three more to complete his treatment.

The 67-year-old Gettleman returned to the Giants earlier this year to replace the fired Jerry Reese. He says he is feeling better than expected, but is limited in what he can do.

”I feel really good and sometimes I feel like I am apologizing for that,” Gettleman said. ”But you know my energy is good. I don’t mind telling you chemo ain’t fun. There has been a couple of days where `whef,’ it rocks your world. Now that I am going through it … my gosh, it’s not fun.”

Gettleman said when he gets treatment he has to stay in the hospital for three or four days. When he is in the office, he works roughly from 10 a.m. to 7 or 7:30 p.m.

The treatments have weakened Gettleman’s immune system and he said he can’t have much contract with people. He has to watch training camp practices from a distance in the shade, eat alone and can’t fly on airplanes. He is going to miss the Giants’ workouts in Detroit with the Lions next month.

Gettleman also predicted he would return to his job full-time this season. He also plans to take part in the upcoming contract talks for star receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

Gettleman said it was weird hearing from his physician, Dr. Andre Goy, that he was in remission.

”Just all of a sudden you go from Brandon Allen Jersey , within a five-week period I’m told I’ve got aggressive lymphoma, and in five weeks, he said everything is going to be OK. That’s a quick turnaround,” said Gettleman, who served as the Carolina Panthers’ general manager from 2013-16.

Gettleman spoke to the Giants players after they reported to training camp Wednesday, saying that he told them two things.

The first was about the importance of being a team, and was highlighted by a recent comment from New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello after center John Tavares signed as a free agent with Toronto earlier this month.

”Lou made a great statement, which I believe in and subscribe to, in that individuals win games and teams win championships Ziggy Ansah Jersey ,” Gettleman said.

The other point Gettleman stressed was that the players have earned the right to be in training camp and now it was up to them to make the 53-man roster and the 47-man dress squad for games.

Gettleman also showed he has not lost his sense of humor, noting that he told the players it feels different being bald. The chemo caused his hair to fall out.

”It’s weird now getting up with a head of hair and looking at that face,” Gettleman said.

Gettleman said the cancer has not changed his approach to life, adding he firmly believes it is centered for him on faith, family and football.

”Life is precious,” he said. ”I don’t care what it is, you just can’t not appreciate how important people are and how, really, we’re in the people business. At the end of the day Andre Reed Jersey , it’s not about how much money you make. It really isn’t, it doesn’t mean anything. It’s really about what you do with your gifts, and family is our true legacy.”

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Rather than retire, Frank Gore is joining his hometown team.

The NFL's active rushing leader agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person confirmed the agreement to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal won't be final until Gore passes a physical.

Gore, who turns 35 next month, grew up in South Florida and played for the Miami Hurricanes. He rushed for 961 yards for Indianapolis last year, and when the Colts decided against trying to re-sign him, there was speculation the 2017 season might have been his last.

But the Dolphins want to give the durable Gore a chance to provide depth at running back behind Kenyan Drake John Ross Jersey , who became Miami's starter last year and averaged 4.8 yards per carry.

Miami also kept defensive end William Hayes, signing him to a one-year contract. Hayes, acquired by Miami in a trade a year ago, played in 10 games as a backup in 2017 before being placed on injured reserve because of a back injury.

Gore has rushed for 14,026 yards in his NFL career to rank fifth on the all-time list. He spent three seasons with the Colts, and in 2016 became the league's oldest 1,000-yard rusher since John Riggins in 1982.

Gore also played for the San Francisco 49ers and has started every game since 2011.

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As first-year Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine installs his playbook T. J. Carrie Jersey , he’s got one of the best to deliver the daily tests: two-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Through a week of training camp, Pettine’s defense is passing those early quizzes.

By Pettine’s count, his defense has seven interceptions of Rodgers. Three came at Monday’s practice.

”It certainly gives our guys some confidence,” Pettine said Wednesday, an off day for the team. ”What a gift we have on defense to be able to go against one of the most elite quarterbacks to ever play the game. You talk about wearing ankle weights. That’s a tremendous thing for us, and for us to have that success, it’s a challenge for him. He’s not going against the same defense that he had gone against and maybe he got used to over years and years and years that he figured out. He’s still trying to figure us out, and there’s that element.

” I just love the competition part of it. It’s great when our guys can make a play. I think that from the beginning of camp, that’s the bottom line: We’ve had some great competition.”

Continuing that momentum will be the challenge as the Packers return to the field Thursday and look forward to Saturday’s Family Night practice at sold-out Lambeau Field. On Monday, two defensive starters, third-year safety Kentrell Brice and fourth-year inside linebacker Jake Ryan Greg Zuerlein Jersey , suffered significant injuries. Ryan tore his right ACL and is out for the season. Brice appeared to have reinjured the right ankle that required season-ending surgery last year.

At linebacker, the Packers will turn to Oren Burks, a third-round pick out of Vanderbilt who had taken some of the first-team reps from Ryan. Burks is one of five players on the depth chart participating in their first NFL training camp. The only remaining veteran is third-year starter Blake Martinez.

”(Burks) has flashed some things,” Pettine said. ”The transition from the college game to the NFL, it takes some time. He’s very intelligent, he processes very quickly, but there’s still just that learning curve. . We’ll see how it plays out. It’s a big loss with Jake. I know there’s certainly open lines of communication with the personnel department.”

At safety, Brice on Tuesday said he was thankful the injury ”wasn’t as serious as it could have been.” Until he returns, the Packers figure to move forward with Josh Jones, a second-round pick last year.

Brice is a pure defensive back and Jones, a combination defensive back and linebacker Shane Ray Jersey , so they bring different skill sets. That could force Pettine to make some adjustments if Brice’s injury lingers into the regular season.

”At this point, we’re asking them to do all of the menu,” Pettine said. ”Whether it’s a job during the season we might not have them do, we’re asking them to do it all (now). But I think we certainly have thoughts on Kentrell is best at this, Josh is best at this, and kind of marry that together with a package; I think that’s kind of on us as coaches to begin to shape a game plan and have the right personnel doing the right jobs when we’re out there. But it’s just too early.”

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When Barry Trotz resigned, the Washington Capitals didn’t even bother with a coaching search.

There was only one candidate and he got the job.

Top assistant Todd Reirden will take over the Stanley Cup-champion Capitals, promoted from the bench on Friday in a move that allows Washington to maintain a sense of continuity. Reirden coached the defensemen the past four seasons, was a finalist for another NHL head job two years ago, earned a promotion to associate coach and played a substantial role in the first championship in franchise history.

”We feel that the time is right for Todd to lead our hockey club,” general manager Brian MacLellan said. ”Based on his coaching experience Shaquil Barrett Jersey , communication abilities, his approach to the game and the respect he commands in our locker room, we feel that Todd has earned this opportunity.”

MacLellan hopes promoting Reirden from within will allow the team to ”transition seamlessly into next season and beyond.”

Given his four-year tenure on Trotz’s staff and the league-wide view of him as a rising star in coaching, Reirden was the only one interviewed for this job. He was hired less than two weeks after Trotz resigned and eight days after the veteran Cup-winning coach joined the New York Islanders.

The 47-year-old former defenseman coached the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for parts of two seasons before serving as an NHL assistant with Pittsburgh for four years. Reirden was a finalist for the Calgary coaching job two summers ago but after losing out to since-fired Glen Gulutzan was given a raise and the associate coach title by the Capitals.

As the assistant in charge of the defense, Reirden had a hand in the development of John Carlson, Matt Niskanen and Dmitry Orlov.

”I thought he was crucial for my career and just changed kind of a few things how I looked at the game, changed a few things with the D that I think really benefited everyone on D and made it pretty clear what he expected of us and allowed us to go out there and do the rest,” Carlson said after signing a $64 million, eight-year contract to stick around.

MacLellan said last week this was Reirden’s job to lose.

”He’s got history there and he’s ready to try it as a head coach, and he’s been successful with our defensemen,” he said. ”I think he can handle the personalities in our room.”

Reirden takes over a defending champion led by captain and playoff MVP Alex Ovechkin Graham Gano Jersey , who was motivated by Trotz to adapt his game at age 32. He is the first assistant to take over for a Cup-winning coach the next season since Dave Lewis replaced the retired Scotty Bowman with Detroit in 2002-03 and the first to follow a champion coach who left in a contract dispute since Colin Campbell replaced Mike Keenan with the New York Rangers in 1994-95.

Reirden describes his coaching personality as a mix of those he has worked with in the past – the honesty of Joel Quenneville and the systems skills of Todd McLellan and Todd Richards. He drew rave reviews from Capitals trade-deadline acquisition Michal Kempny, who credited Reirden for putting together an effective plan that contributed to a key part of the Cup run.

”He get my belief in myself back and I really appreciate (him) for it because when I came here I didn’t believe in myself,” Kempny said.

Current and past players praise Reirden for his ability to not only strategize but communicate. As the NHL moves away from taskmasters behind the bench, Reirden fits the mold of a modern coach.

”I think he did a great job taking everybody for being different people and seeing things different ways,” Carlson said. ”I just think he seemed to connect with everyone’s different personalities. I think he makes you look at the game a little bit differently.”

Even the forwards who didn’t deal with Reirden on a one-on-one basis got an idea about his benefits to the team.

”In the room and in practice he’s always giving little tips to everyone,” winger Devante Smith-Pelly said. ”I think he taught me just a lot of little things positional-wise and things like that maybe other coaches never taught me. … He did amazing job, obviously, with the defense and a big part of the whole run. So I think he’ll do a great job and definitely help us defend the Cup.”

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Ed Croke Willie Young Jersey , the New York Giants' former public relations director, died Wednesday. He was 86.

The NFL team said Croke died at his home in Jupiter Chase Daniel Jersey , Florida.

Croke joined the Giants in 1965 as director of promotions and was public relations from 1972 until retiring in 1993.

Before joining the Giants, he was a police reporter and feature news columnist for the Herald Statesman in Yonkers for three years Carlos Dunlap Jerse , and sports editor and columnist for the Reporter Dispatch in White Plains for six years.

Croke earned all-league honors in football, basketball and baseball at North Tarrytown High School in New York. He attended Iona College on a basketball scholarship and lettered for three seasons. He also was a three-year letterman as a pitcher on the baseball team Anthony Zettel Jersey , and pitched briefly in the North Atlantic League before entering the U.S. Army.

New Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich has officially named Matt Eberflus as his defensive coordinator and Nick Sirianni as offensive coordinator.

He also hired Bubba Ventrone as special teams coordinator and Rusty Jones as director of sports performance.

Eberflus was hired before Reich was named coach Monday. General manager Chris Ballard said the Colts would honor the contract with Eberflus, who was Dallas' linebackers coach since 2011 and their passing game coordinator since 2016.

Sirianni spent the last five seasons with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers in charge of receivers Keke Coutee Jersey , quarterbacks and as the offensive quality control coach.

Ventrone was the New England Patriots assistant special teams coach the last three seasons.

Jones received the NFL's 2016 strength and conditioning Lifetime Achievement award after long stints in Chicago and Buffalo.

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Cross platform has traditionally known multiple console SKUs, perhaps that has a later PC port. But in just one year since launch, both PUBG and Fortnite have moved from PC and console to mobile with impressive success.

The consensus considering that the advent of Fortnite Weapons touchscreen phones is the fact that virtual controls are fiddly and inaccurate. But utilising the rapidly improving virtual controls from Chinese titles for example Arena of Valor, both Fortnite and PUBG have been able to make very playable mobile versions which may have resulted in impressive financials.

Additionally, Fortnite's crossplay features now provides for players from any platform to group with and play against players on every other platform. This crumbles the original walled gardens of console generations past and means the lines between platforms are increasingly blurred. Epic are leading electric power charge to Buy Fortnite Items and make platforms an irrelevant part of any players experience and a direction we ought to all follow

The Green Bay Packers are promoting director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst to be the team’s next general manager Dion Sims Jersey , a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.

The person requested anonymity because the team has made no formal announcement. Gutekunst would replace Ted Thompson, who is transitioning to a senior advisory role in the front office.

Gutekunst has been Green Bay’s player personnel director for nearly two years, though he has been with the Packers’ player personnel department for nearly two decades.

The Houston Chronicle first reported Sunday that Gutekunst had taken the job.

Gutekunst interned in the Packers’ scouting department in the summer of 1997. His first full-time scouting job came the following year as an assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs. He returned to the Packers as a college scout on Dec. 30, 1998, when he was hired by then-general manager and Hall of Famer Ron Wolf.

The Packers had several strong in-house candidates including Gutekunst.

”My goal is to find the right person and general manager who will be able to get us back to where we all think we should be and that’s winning Super Bowls,” team president Mark Murphy, who led the search, said last week.

Green Bay (7-9) finished with a losing record and out of the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The offense struggled after two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers missed nine games because of a collarbone injury. On defense, veteran coordinator Dom Capers was fired after a season in which the unit failed to generate consistent pass rush and had to rely on inexperienced players at cornerback because of injuries and turnover.

Gutekunst has also experience working with coach Mike McCarthy O. J. Simpson Jersey , who received an extension during the season to put him under contract through 2019.

”I have the best job in pro football, and no disrespect to the other 31 clubs, I love it here, I want to be here, but it has to fit for me, too, McCarthy said last week. ”I’ve done this job long enough, I wouldn’t want the GM to hire me or partner with me if we don’t fit together.”

McCarthy is also filling several assistant coaching vacancies, including both the offensive and defensive coordinator positions.

—



This weekend’s series in Arlington Bill Bates Jersey , Texas, is a homecoming for Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, who grew up coming to Texas Rangers games and is playing in the stadium for the first time with the goal of doing some damage to the team he used to root for.

Story had two hits and two RBIs in Colorado’s 9-5 win over Texas on Friday at Globe Life Park in his first big-league appearance in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

The Rockies will send left-hander Kyle Freeland (6-6, 3.68 ERA) to the mound to try to clinch the series and Texas will counter with left-hander Mike Minor (4-4, 5.65).

Story, 25, is a graduate of nearby Irving High School. He entered Friday night’s game against the Rangers leading the National League with 50 RBIs, and was tied for fourth in the NL with 14 home runs and in total bases with 135.

After struggling with the bat and with strikeouts in the early part of the year, Story is hitting .388 (21-for-54) in June.

Story was injured in 2016 when the Rockies last played in Arlington and had to watch from the dugout during that series. He had about 200 friends and family in attendance Friday and they were very vocal.

“This is special — I grew up watching the Rangers here Jabaal Sheard Jersey ,” Story told mlb.com before Friday’s game. “They were my team when I was younger – this was my Yankee Stadium growing up. Very exciting, lots of emotions for sure. It was tough I couldn’t play in ’16, but I’m looking forward to this.”

Friday’s win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Rockies, and the Rangers lost their seventh in a row.

Texas played without catcher Robinson Chirinos, who was suspended for a game after a pushing and shoving altercation at home plate on Wednesday with the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp.

Kemp decided to appeal his suspension, and Chirinos sat out the first game of the series against Colorado.

“I didn’t expect there would be suspensions,” Texas manager Jeff Banister said. “I thought in the scrum it was pretty benign, and it was over pretty quickly. The shoving match looked a little worse than it was. But Major League Baseball doesn’t want that environment in a game. That was taken into account.”

The Rangers’ backup catcher, Carlos Perez Dominique Easley Jersey , had to leave Friday’s game in the second inning after sustaining a sprained ankle on a play at the plate. X-rays on Perez’s ankle later Friday were negative.

He was replaced by rookie catcher Jose Trevino, who played in his first major league game after being called up from Double-A Frisco on Friday afternoon.

Texas also played Friday’s game without right fielder Nomar Mazara because of a sore left wrist.

Freeland has been the Rockies’ best pitcher of late; in his last nine starts, he is 6-3 with a 2.93 ERA. He took the loss in an 8-3 defeat at home against Colorado on June 10 in his most recent start, working six innings while allowing four runs and four hits with four walks and eight strikeouts.

Freeland will be making his first career start against the Rangers.

Minor will make his 13th start of the season on Saturday. His four wins are tied for team lead and the most among Texas starters, He had a quality start in last outing, but has gone 1-3 with a 6.96 ERA in his past six starts to raise his season ERA from 4.36 to its current 5.65.

Minor will be working on extended six days’ rest because of off days Monday and Thursday. He last worked and took no decision in the Rangers’ 4-3 loss on June 9 at home against Houston. He is 3-2 with a 5.73 ERA in eight career appearance, six of them starts, against Colorado.
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Stunning as it may be Sam Mills Jersey , the decision of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to stay away from Organized Team Activities isn’t really surprising. But the specific reason for his absence still isn’t known. There could be several.

Regardless, he’s not present for the critical third phase of the offseason program, which as Brady himself said five years ago lays the foundation for training camp, which in turn lays the foundation for the regular season, and so on.

In an effort to understand the situation, we invited Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston to join Wednesday’s PFT Live. From Curran’s perspective, Brady’s concerns arise in part from Belichick fatigue, and possibly also from the fact that Brady is earning peanuts in relation to other quarterbacks.

Curran agreed with the notion that Brady likely believes he shouldn’t have to ask for a raise. But Curran also said it’s possible Belichick is reluctant to give a significant increase to Brady Tyrone Crawford Jersey , given how close he may be to the end of the line. And he may be even closer; Belichick surely isn’t happy with Brady’s decision to boycott OTAs, which will only make Belichick more determined to find his next potential franchise quarterback.
Josh Bell has had a tough third season at the plate, with an overall drop in production and especially in extra-base hits.

Bell might have turned the corner in that department on Friday, with two doubles and a triple as part of his four-hit night that helped Pittsburgh to a 7-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Bell came into the game with two extra-base hits in July and was slugging .378, third-worst among qualified first basemen. He credited a change in mindset rather than anything mechanical.

”It’s just one of those things where you get your butt kicked so many times in this game, you’ve kind of got to take a step back and realize that sometimes it’s you making it harder than it is,” Bell said. ”Just trying to take a step back and allow them to come to me.”

Bell’s big night followed a three-walk game on Thursday. The combination of times on base and extra base hits has his OPS at .736, the highest it’s been since mid-May.

”Love seeing it Deacon Jones Jersey , and he’s been working hard,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

The Pirates got to Milwaukee starter Junior Guerra (6-6) early and often. They scored three runs in the first on Gregory Polanco’s sacrifice fly, an RBI single by Colin Moran and Bell’s run-scoring double.

Polanco hit his 14th home run of the season in the fourth inning.

In the fifth, Moran scored on Bell’s double with the aid of Lorenzo Cain’s error. Jordy Mercer then drove in Bell with a double. Bell drove in Moran again with a triple in the eighth.

Nick Kingham (4-4) tied a career high with nine strikeouts and allowed three runs over 6 1/3 innings. Kingham walked just one batter and 63 of his 95 pitches went for strikes.

”I think you get ahead in the count, you’re the aggressor and that kind of puts the batter on their heels,” he said, ”They may swing at some pitches they typically don’t swing at. Now that I’m pounding strikes, just getting them to chase on some good pitches.”

Kyle Crick got four outs for his second save of the season.

Guerra yielded six runs John Timu Jersey , nine hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out four.

”It was just a rough outing for him,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. ”They swung the bats well against him. A lot of balls in the middle that got hit. Just one that he’s going to wipe out. It wasn’t very good.”

The fourth-place Pirates have won five of their last six. First-place Milwaukee has lost four of five and its lead has been cut to a half-game over the Chicago Cubs.

The Brewers’ slide has come as they finish the first half on a stretch of 21 games in 20 days, but Counsell brushed off any notion of fatigue.

”We’re 90 games in and we’ve got 70 games to go,” he said. ”That’s not time to be tired.”

Brewers reliever Brandon Woodruff, recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs, pitched three innings of one-hit relief and hit his first career home run.

”That’s something that not everybody, especially a pitcher gets to do,” Woodruff said. ”It’s definitely special.”

Milwaukee optioned right-handed reliever Adrian Houser to the minors.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: RF Eric Thames left the game in the second inning with left hamstring tightness. Hernan Perez replaced him.

Pirates: INF/OF Sean Rodriguez went 1 for 2 with a home run and two walks in his rehab appearance with Triple-A Indianapolis.

UP NEXT

Brewers: RHP Chase Anderson (6-6 Jose Altuve Jersey , 3.18 ERA) is scheduled to start the first game of a doubleheader Saturday, with LHP Brent Suter (8-5, 4.53 ERA) following in the second game.

Pirates: RHP Ivan Nova (5-6, 4.50 ERA) is in line to start the first game, followed by RHP Clay Holmes (0-1, 7.11 ERA), who is expected to be recalled from High-A Bradenton as the 26th man. It will be Holmes’ second MLB start.
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The Indianapolis Colts finally made a splashy signing Monday night.

It should make Andrew Luck happy Seth DeValve Jersey , too.

After adding only one player in the first five days of free agency, the Colts agreed to a deal with former Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron. Contract terms were not immediately available.

”I fell in love with the coaching staff. I fell in love with the GM, I fell in love with the staff and that’s kind of what pushed the envelope for me to want to be here,” Ebron told local reporters on a conference call. ”I really felt a lot of love and was shown a lot of support for my game, my family, the things I wanted to accomplish and at the end of the day, my goals.”

It’s a chance for Ebron to start over.

The Lions drafted the highest-rated tight end in 2014 in the first round but Ebron never quite lived up to the hype.

In four seasons, he had 186 receptions, 2,070 yards and 11 TDs in 56 career games. He didn’t appear in all 16 games until last season when he caught 53 passes for 574 yards and four touchdowns.

Even worse Graham Glasgow Jersey , he developed a reputation for dropping passes – a problem Ebron said stemmed from a lack of mental focus and a problem he plans to fix next season.

Ultimately, that was enough for Detroit to cut ties with Ebron last week.

The Colts, however, thought enough of Ebron’s potential to give him another shot. He is expected to be paired with Jack Doyle, who made his first Pro Bowl last season, and Erik Swoope, a former college basketball player who had moved to No. 2 on the Colts’ depth chart.

”It’s a fresh start, it’s a whole new ordeal, it’s a whole new world really that you’re stepping into,” Ebron said. ”It’s definitely something to look forward to. Obviously Randy Gregory Jersey , you get to play the game that you love for another season. You just have to enjoy it.”

Ebron joins Denico Autry, a backup defensive lineman with the Raiders last season, as Indy’s only free-agent additions so far.

It’s not likely to be the last move made by general manager Chris Ballard, who has long espoused he prefers to draft and develop players rather than overspending in free agency.

Autry and Ebron both appear to fit the blueprint.

But Ballard did make a lot of noise Saturday with a trade that sent the No. 3 overall pick in next month’s draft to the New York Jets, who will presumably take a quarterback. In exchange the Colts got the No. 6 overall pick, two second-round picks this year and the Jets’ second-round pick in 2019.

The move gives Indy four picks in the top 50 this year and three picks in the first two rounds next year – all of which made Indianapolis an even better choice in Ebron’s mind.

”Growing up, I’ve never really been a fan of things that are already great because then what’s the point of really joining it?” Ebron said. ”I’ve always been a fan of trying to make something better, and I feel like I can do that with my talent and my abilities here. I feel like with Andrew Luck coming back and playing along with Jack, I feel like we can create something that most teams would want.”

—



HOUSTON — Heralded outfield prospect Kyle Tucker made his big-league debut Saturday for the Astros, a move that not only has implications for Tucker but two other outfielders.

With Tucker Damarious Randall Jersey , who finished 1-for-4 with a bases-loaded walk and three strikeouts in the Astros’ 12-6 win, in the fold, outfielder Tony Kemp will see a reduction in his playing time despite providing a spark for the Astros (60-31) since his mid-May recall. Kemp has a slash line of .295/.385/.410 over 40 games.

Outfielder Jake Marisnick, meanwhile, was optioned to Triple-A Fresno for a second time on the same night he delivered another sparkling play in center field.

Marisnick was batting .190 with 69 strikeouts in 163 plate appearances.

“It was hard for Jake, and it should be,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “He’s had a roller-coaster season going up and down. The first go-round he was really needing to go correct some things. The second go-around he was doing a lot better and things were out of his control a little bit as to him going down to Triple-A. There are still some offensive adjustments we want him to make.

“(Kemp) came up and won the right to stay in the big leagues. When a transaction happens, we talk a lot about the guy we sent down but the guy that we kept earned the right to be here. I’m very proud of what Tony has contributed to this team, and it hasn’t always been fair to him the last couple of years.”

Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel (5-8, 4.12 ERA) will start the series finale against the White Sox. He has posted three quality starts in his last four outings Derek Newton Jersey , going 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA and 21 strikeouts across 24 1/3 innings during that stretch.

Keuchel is 3-4 with a 3.81 ERA over eight career starts against the White Sox including a 10-1 win on April 21 when he worked six innings and allowed one run on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Right-hander Lucas Giolito (5-7, 6.93 ERA) gets the starting nod for Chicago (30-59). He is 2-3 with a 7.50 ERA in his last eight starts, allowing five runs or more four times.

Giolito will make his third career start against the Astros, against whom he is 0-2 with an 11.42 ERA. He was charged with nine runs on five hits and seven walks opposite Keuchel on April 21 and suffered the loss in his previous appearance at Minute Maid Park on Sept. 19, 2017, when he allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk with three strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings of a 3-1 loss.

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was back in the starting lineup Saturday and finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts after sitting out the previous game to manage the soreness in his left forearm. Anderson was hit by a pitch in Thursday’s series opener.

Anderson has become a fixture in the eight-hole when Chicago faces a right-handed starter, a move designed to help amplify the depth of the White Sox lineup and provide additional opportunities atop the batting order for fellow infielders Yoan Moncada and Yolmer Sanchez.

“If you look at the lineup it just lengthens out (and) allows us to put him and keep him there,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said of Anderson. “As long as he stays comfortable there he helps us there quite a bit. Picks up the back end of the lineup and I think we’ve gotten some benefits out of it.”
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James Shields of the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds play in opposite leagues and rarely see each other Kareem Jackson Jersey , yet they currently have much in common.

Now that they’re starting to make something out of what appeared to be a totally lost season, they’d like to keep it going.

The Reds got off to the worst start in baseball at 8-27, one so bad that getting to .500 looked to be as much of a challenge as winning a division title would be for most teams.

But when the Reds (36-48) take on the right-handed Shields and the White Sox on Monday night at Great American Ball Park, in the teams’ first matchup since 2015, they’ll be one of the majors’ hottest clubs. They’ve won 11 of 14 after taking the final two games of a four-game weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers, and interim manager Jim Riggleman now has a 33-33 record for a last-place team.

Considering that Riggleman took over a Reds team that was 3-15 under former manager Bryan Price, that’s something of an accomplishment. And the Reds own a 6-1 record in interleague games.

“We know we can play with these teams that are in first place in their division,” Riggleman said.

They’re winning now in grand fashion, too. Jose Peraza hit the team’s major league-leading ninth grand slam Sunday in an 8-2 win over the Brewers, their second in two games (pitcher Michael Lorenzen hit a pinch-grand slam Saturday) and sixth in 17 games. They’ve already tied a club season record.

“We’ve been getting better at-bats … and we’ve happened to have men on base,” Riggleman said.

Cincinnati starter Matt Harvey pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings before being lifted after a rain delay, and the Reds dealt Brewers rookie Freddy Peralta (3-1), who gave up three runs in five innings, his first major league loss. Peralta allowed only one hit in seven shutout innings against the Kansas City Royals in his previous start.

“That’s probably the best I’ve felt since 2013,” said Harvey (4-5), who won his third straight start.

Shields (3-9), likewise Andre Reed Jersey , is beginning to see a ray of sunshine in what previously was a gloomy season. He’s coming off his best start of the year, pitching seven shutout innings and giving up four hits Wednesday in a 6-1 win over the Minnesota Twins. It was his 12th quality start of the season, or five more than he had all of last season.

Shields still isn’t the pitcher that won 13 or more games seven times from 2008 to 2015, but it hasn’t helped that he’s pitching for a team that’s off to the second worst start in franchise history. He has allowed a respectable six earned runs in his last four starts, and twice yielded one or no runs while lasting at least seven innings.

At age 36, Shields is making adjustments to compensate for his decreased velocity, yet has pitched at least six innings in 12 of his last 13 starts for a last-place team.

“My body’s feeling really good this year, and this is kind of what I’ve done my whole career,” Shields told reporters after the game against the Twins. “I strive to go as deep as I possibly can in games and so far it’s been good.

“I’m not throwing as hard as I used to. If I were to throw over the top, I’d still throw a little harder than I am right now. (But) at the end of the day, I’m feeling really good with my delivery right now, my mechanics. It’s been a lot of fun making these adjustments.”

Shields goes against Reds right-hander Luis Castillo (5-8), who was 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA in five June starts. He retired the first 11 batters he faced Wednesday at Atlanta, only to give up four quick runs on a walk and five consecutive singles, although the Reds came back to win 6-5.

Castillo is 0-1 in two starts against American League clubs this season, giving up eight runs in six innings. He has never faced the White Sox.

Shields is 18-18 with a 4.57 ERA in interleague play and 0-2 in two career starts against the Reds, the last of which was in 2015.

The White Sox (29-54) ended a three-game losing streak Sunday by salvaging the final game of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers Leonard Floyd Jersey , winning 10-5 as Avisail Garcia went 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI.

The Reds have won five consecutive interleague games but are facing the White Sox at Great American Ball Park for the first time since 2009. The White Sox are 16-4 overall against the Reds and 10-2 in Cincinnati, though that success there predated any of the current players.
Chanting through chattering teeth, Browns fans finally felt victorious.

Maybe the winless season wasn’t a total loss.

Thousands of disgruntled Cleveland fans, some of them calling for owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam to sell the franchise or jump in Lake Erie, paraded once around the team’s stadium in frigid conditions Saturday following a historic 0-16 season.

It was a protest and it was a party as fans showed their outrage and creativity following a season many would gladly forget.

Despite wind chills below zero, fans lined the street around FirstEnergy Stadium, which has been dubbed the ”Factory of Sadness” in recent years, to cheer as 80 vehicles, a rock band on a flatbed truck and a group carrying 28 tombstones to represent the team’s 28 starting quarterbacks since 1999, took a ”no victory” lap.

Cleveland police conservatively estimated the crowd at 3,200, and reported no major incidents or arrests.

This was frozen fun mixed with some fury.

”I’m here to protest,” said Patty Szylakowski, who grew up in a football-loving household with five brothers. ”We don’t deserve this. We deserve better people in the front office.

”We deserve better people coaching and we deserve better players. We’re buying Browns gear every year. We support them every year no matter what. Something has to be done and this is not a black eye on Cleveland.

”Every fan in all the NFL cities should be thinking about this. If they got crap like we did, they would be doing the same thing.”

That was the overriding sentiment among the frosted faithful who gathered on the sidewalks just feet away from a statue honoring legendary Browns running back Jim Brown.

This was a day for fans to express frustration at their football team, and most of the anger was aimed at the Haslams, who bought the team in 2012 but have been unable to produce the winner they’ve promised.

One fan held a sign that read: ”Jimmy and Dee Go Jump in the Lake.” Another carried by a fan dressed as a bishop said: ”Deliver us from Jimmy and Dee.”

The biting cold may have deterred some fans from attending Miles Killebrew Jersey , but it did nothing to curb Cleveland’s creativity or sarcasm.

Prompted by a fan with a bullhorn, one group of marchers chanted, ”What do we want? Watchable football. When do we want it? Now.” There were floats, a few of them with obscene themes, fans wearing paper bags on their heads, and a Big Bird wearing Johnny Manziel’s jersey. A band played John Mellencamp’s ”Hurts So Good,” a song that underscores the pain and passion Browns fans feel for a team whose glory days are long gone.

For Chris McNeil, the day was a triumph for Cleveland.

A season-ticket holder, McNeil became the event’s unintended organizer – and a pariah to some – when his sarcastic post on Twitter last season that the winless Browns ”deserve a parade” spawned a revolt by some Cleveland fans.

McNeil endured severe backlash by fans who felt he was only embarrassing a city that has taken its share of shots over the years.

”No fights, no violence,” he said as the parade unfolded. ”I didn’t have to wear a flak jacket, none of that would reflect badly upon us. I don’t think anybody’s looking at this thing and going, `look at these idiot Clevelanders who are celebrating 0-16′. I don’t think that’s the message. This is a clear message to those people (the Haslams) inside the building. That’s who we were looking for.”

For obvious reasons, none of Cleveland’s players attended the event.

However, defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah posted a message on Twitter critical of anyone who went.

”That parade is a joke,” he wrote. ”Don’t call yourself a true browns fan if you go to that thing! Going 0-16 was embarrassing enough as a player. That is like adding fuel to the fire and it is completely wrong!”

McNeil’s only goal was to give Browns fans a voice. He felt he had done just that.

”This stuff matters in this town,” said McNeil Gary Zimmerman Jersey , who is donating nearly $15,000 raised for the event to the Cleveland Food Bank. ”That’s why I care about this stuff. I almost get choked up when I think about it, because people don’t realize that. You go to other markets, and people enjoy their teams and I get that. But there’s a connection here where it’s like family. And to see something like the Browns be bad, it’s easy for me to make jokes, it’s either you do that or you cry.

”But then you look at something like this and you say, `Man, we had this. In the `80s, this is when you’d leave a ballgame. I remember that. As a kid I’d be sitting in the backseat people honking, people yelling. You’d see that all the time after wins. To get that, we have to create this parade. It just says so much about the character of this city, the character of the people here.

”This is all positive and fun.”

—

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ARIZONA CARDINALS (8-8)

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: S Tyvon Branch; CB Justin Bethel and Tramon Williams; QBs Drew Stanton Jarius Wright Jersey , Blaine Gabbert and Matt Barkley; DT Frostee Rucker; WRs John Brown, Brittan Golden and Jaron Brown; OLBs Karlos Dansby and Kareem Martin; RB Kerwyn Williams; G Alex Boone; ILB Josh Bynes, OT Khalif Barnes; OL Earl Watford; TE Troy Niklas; LS Aaron Brewer.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: DT Xavier Williams.

NEEDS: With no QB on roster, team’s No. 1 need is obvious. General manager Steve Keim seems to want to sign veteran, with Cardinals in Kirk Cousins sweepstakes despite salary cap challenges, especially considering large number of departing free agents, some of whom could be re-signed. Expect Cardinals also to address QB in draft. Other needs are at WR, where ranks are thin to nonexistent behind Larry Fitzgerald. With big contracts of aging, oft-injured G Mike Iupati and T Jared Veldeer, Cardinals will be looking at OL help as well as in secondary. With entire new coaching regime and system Christine Michael Sr Jersey , team might look for someone to play FB.

AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $21 million.

ATLANTA FALCONS (11-7)

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: DE Adrian Clayborn; FB Derrick Coleman; WRs Taylor Gabriel, Andre Roberts and Nick Williams; LBs Jordan Tripp, Sean Weatherspoon and Kemal Ishmael; DTs Dontari Poe, Courtney Upshaw and Ahtyba Rubin; CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: FS Ricardo Allen; RBs Terron Ward and Terrence Magee; G Ben Garland.

NEEDS: Tight end is priority following release of Levine Toilolo. Veteran could be signed to challenge Austin Hooper. Team cut Derrick Shelby and could lose Clayborn, so more pass rush help at defensive end may be needed. If team loses Poe and Upshaw in free agency, another veteran defensive tackle may be signed. Guard is another priority that may be addressed high in draft or in free agency. General manager Thomas Dimitroff said at NFL scouting combine that Gabriel would not be re-signed

AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $9 million.

CAROLINA PANTHERS (11-6)

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: Gs Andrew Norwell and Amini Silatolu; DEs Julius Peppers and Charles Johnson; DT Star Lotulelei; QB Derek Anderson; TE Ed Dickson, Ss Jairus Byrd and Kurt Coleman; CB Teddy Williams; LB Andrew Gachkar; WR Brenton Bersin; RB Jonathan Stewart.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: TE Scott Simonson; G David Yankey; WR Kaelin Clay; CB LaDarius Gunter.

NEEDS: Panthers need thumper at safety after releasing Coleman, as well as pass rushing defensive ends after release of Johnson and with 37-year-old Peppers’ future uncertain. Team allowed All-Pro guard Norwell to walk, but believes last year’s draft pick Taylor Moton can step into that spot. Center Ryan Kalil and outside linebacker Thomas Davis said they will retire after season, so it’s time to address those areas. Carolina cut Stewart Ryan Griffin Jersey , its all-time leading rusher; team needs complement to Christian McCaffrey in backfield. Finding speedy wide receiver remains priority. Don’t be surprised if Carolina drafts quarterback at some point and parts with Anderson.

AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $24 million.

CHICAGO BEARS (5-11)

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: CB Kyle Fuller (transition tag), Prince Amukamara, Bryce Callahan and Sherrick McManis; WRs Josh Bellamy, Dontrelle Inman and Kendall Wright; QB Mark Sanchez; RB Benny Cunningham; TE Zach Miller; G Josh Sitton; DE Mitch Unrein; LBs Sam Acho, Lamarr Houston and Christian Jones.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: WR Cameron Meredith.

NEEDS: Bears have glaring need for playmaking receivers and could make run at Jacksonville’s Allen Robinson and Rams’ Sammy Watkins in free agency. Chicago needs help on offensive line after declining option on Sitton and with Kyle Long recovering from multiple surgeries. On defense, Bears could use more pass rushers to go with LB Leonard Floyd. Chicago placed transition tag on Fuller, giving them right to match any offer he receives in free agency.

AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $64 million.

DALLAS COWBOYS (9-7)

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: DE DeMarcus Lawrence; RB Alfred Morris; WR Brice Butler; T Byron Bell; G Jonathan Cooper; LBs Anthony Hitchens and Kyle Wilber; LS L.P. LaDouceur; C Joe Looney; CB Bene Benwikere.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: DE David Irving; FB Keith Smith.

NEEDS: Lawrence will be back after signing for $17.1 million under franchise tag as sides work on long-term deal. Team plans to tender Irving and wants him back. Dallas also wants Hitchens back but likely won’t overpay in scenario that could be similar to last year, when S Barry Church left for Jacksonville. Morris and Butler probably not coming back, and Cowboys could target LG in draft if Cooper doesn’t return. Days of headline-grabbing free agents mostly over with owner Jerry Jones’ son, executive VP Stephen Jones Jay Novacek Jersey , having strong influence and preferring to avoid big-money deals with players outside organization.

AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $3.2 million.

DETROIT LIONS (9-7)

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: DTs Haloti Ngata and Jordan Hill; LBs Tahir Whitehead, Nick Bellore, Dwight Freeney and LB Paul Worrilow; CBs D.J. Hayden and Nevin Lawson; C Travis Swanson; S Don Carey; TE Darren Fells; OTs Greg Robinson and Don Barclay; RB Mike James.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: WR TJ Jones; LB Brandon Copeland; OL Zac Kerin; RB Zach Zenner.

NEEDS: Lions’ weakness is defensive line and improving it will be priority under first-year coach Matt Patricia. Former New England Patriots defensive coordinator also might want to bolster offensive line to protect QB Matthew Stafford and help boost poorly performing runni

Raiders defensive end Bruce Irvin didn’t filter himself when he posted an initial reaction to the team’s decision to trade Khalil Mack last weekend.

Irving wrote “no f—ing way” on Twitter, but he quickly progressed through the five stages of grief to come to acceptance. Irvin’s next tweet came 15 minutes later聽and said that the trade was a shock, but that the Raiders now had to “move on and win.”

Irvin has continued to look to the future since those social media posts, particularly when it comes to his expanded role as a leader in the front seven for Oakland.

“I’m excited, man,” Irvin said, via ESPN.com. “I’ve got my young boys working with me, four days a week. Arden [Key] Vincent Rey Jersey , Fadol [Brown] and Shilique [Calhoun], we work out four days a week at 7 a.m. If one do it, we all going to do it. It’s great, man. I’m looking forward to taking on the challenge and I think we’re going to be pretty good.”

Key is joined by two more rookies on the interior of the defensive line, which gives the group a younger look than the Raiders are generally employing this season. If they make good on their potential, Irvin’s prediction could wind up being on the mark.
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CLEVELAND — With Cleveland’s pitching staff in chaos Dan Bailey Jersey , the Indians will try to regroup Sunday and avoid a three-game sweep by the Minnesota Twins.

Minnesota has won the first two games of the series while roughing up Cleveland’s top two starting pitchers, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. The Twins have won five in a row against their American League Central rivals, outscoring the Indians 36-16.

The Indians’ 9-3 loss Saturday was a costly one. Carrasco was knocked out of the game in the second inning when he was hit on the right elbow by a line drive off the bat of Joe Mauer. Carrasco went to a local hospital for tests after the game.

“It hit him right on the elbow. He was hurting,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “They’re still doing some scans. Right now, they are calling it a contusion and the hope is that’s all it is. We’ll know more tomorrow.”

Carrasco’s early exit caused Francona to use most of his bullpen, including right-hander Adam Plutko, who was scheduled to start Sunday. But those plans changed.

Shane Bieber will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to start Sunday in place of Plutko.

Bieber made a spot start for the Indians, his major league debut, on May 31, coincidentally against the Twins. The Indians won the game 9-8, but Bieber was not involved in the decision. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and eight hits with six strikeouts and one walk.

Bieber has been the Indians’ top minor league pitcher in the first half of the season. In a combined 12 starts at Columbus and Double-A Akron Austin Seferian-Jenkins Jersey , Bieber is 6-1 with a 1.29 ERA. One of those wins was a rain-shortened seven-inning no-hitter for Columbus.

Bieber will have his hands full with a red-hot Minnesota lineup, led by outfielder Eddie Rosario, who has been a one-man wrecking crew against Cleveland this year. On Saturday, Rosario was 4-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBIs. All four of his hits came on the first pitch.

Against the Indians this year, Rosario is batting .471 (16-for-34) with six home runs and 11 RBIs.

“They are in a special place (offensively) now,” Francona said. “Rosario, the first pitch you throw him he’s just whacking it. We need to throw him some pitches out of the zone. He’s hitting everything. They are a good hitting team.”

The Twins’ Sunday starter will be right-hander Jake Odorizzi (3-3, 4.19 ERA), who has not won since May 8. In six starts since, he is 0-1 with a 4.70 ERA, although a lack of run support has been part of the problem.

The Twins scored three runs or fewer in four of those six Odorizzi starts Theo Riddick Jersey , the last of which came June 12 against the Detroit Tigers. The Twins won the game 6-4. Odorizzi got a no-decision, pitching five innings, allowing two runs and four hits with four strikeouts and four walks.

Odorizzi earned a no-decision in his last start against Cleveland on May 31. He pitched 3 2/3 innings, giving up eight runs (seven earned) and seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

In six career starts against Cleveland, Odorizzi is 1-2 with a 6.33 ERA.
The Arizona Diamondbacks preserved their bullpen. Their psyche might have taken a big hit, however.

Arizona’s Coors Field dominance ended in a blast of offense by the Colorado Rockies. Carlos Gonzalez hit two homers, starter German Marquez also went deep for one of Colorado’s five home runs as the Rockies routed Arizona 19-2 on Wednesday night.

Gonzalez drove in six runs to help the Rockies end a nine-game home losing streak against the Diamondbacks. They scored 12 runs in the first three innings and only a couple of Arizona position players taking the mound settled things down.

”We’ve had trouble against this team, we all know it, so today was good,” Nolan Arenado said.

Arizona starter Shelby Miller (0-4) allowed five runs before leaving after the first with right elbow tightness. Miller was making his fourth start since returning from Tommy John surgery and was headed back to Phoenix on Wednesday night to be evaluated, manager Torey Lovullo said.

”He definitely didn’t seem himself,” said Alex Avila Jabaal Sheard Jersey , who started at catcher and finished the game on the mound. ”He was kind of struggling to command really anything, noticing him grimacing on occasion when he’d throw a pitch. Obviously there was something wrong there.”

With the game out of hand, the Diamondbacks turned to second baseman Daniel Descalso and Avila to pitch. Descalso tossed 2 2/3 innings in his fifth relief appearance. Avila threw two scoreless innings in his first time pitching since college.

”It’s like riding bike,” he said. ”I wasn’t trying to do anything special, just made sure I tired to throw strikes and that’s really it.”

Colorado scored seven runs off Jorge De La Rosa and four more off Yoshihisa Hirano to bring on Descalso in the fourth. He had retired the first nine batters he faced his career but Arenado greeted him with an RBI single and Gonzalez followed with a two-run homer. Descalso was the first position player in franchise history to pitch more than one inning. Avila became the second.

Charlie Blackmon and Ian Desmond also homered as Colorado ended a nine-game home losing streak to the Diamondbacks.

Marquez (8-8), who pitched six innings, hit his first career home run off Descalso that made it 19-1.

”I happened to make really good contact on that pitch and the ball left the yard,” Marquez said. ”I’d be lying if I sometimes (don’t think) I’ve got to go yard at some point. I’m glad it happened tonight.”

The 19 runs were the most this season for Colorado and one short of the franchise best.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: Reliever TJ McFarland left the game in the fourth inning with neck tightness. … Lovullo said OF Jarrod Dyson (right groin strain) is dealing with the break up of scar tissue related to his 2017 hernia surgery and said the team will keep him off his feet until after the break.

Rockies: RHP Bryan Shaw was activated from the 10-day DL and LHP Jerry Vasto optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. Shaw pitched a scoreless ninth inning in his first appearance since June 23rd.

TWO FOR THE BOOKS

The Diamondbacks made history by pitching Descalso and Avila tossing multiple innings. The last time it happened was when the Philadelphia Phillies did it against the Chicago Cubs on July 22, 1945, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

In addition, Descalso coming on in the fourth inning was the earliest a position player pitched in a game since Sal Bando did it for Milwaukee on Aug. 29, 1979 Cole Beasley Jersey , according to Elias.

WILD WEEK

The Diamondbacks will need the upcoming All-Star break to regroup from the last four games. On Saturday they scored 20 runs to beat San Diego, went 16 innings the next day against the Padres and then allowed 19 runs against Colorado.

”The 20 runs followed by 16-inning game — I’ve never seen something like that,” Lovullo said. ”Our positions players had to cover four-plus innings. So it’s a weird set of circumstances, but today only counts as one loss.”

NERVOUS NOLAN

Arenado has faced the toughest pitchers in the game with confidence but facing Descalso in the fourth inning was stressful for the All-Star third baseman.

”It was awkward, my heart was beating really fast because I didn’t want to get out,” he said. ”It was nice to get a hit.”

SALAS RELEASED

The Diamondbacks released RHP Fernando Salas a few days after designating him for assignment.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray (3-1, 5.23 ERA) and Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland (8-6, 3.18 ERA) will start on Thursday.
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Although the White Sox head into the All-Star break with nearly twice as many losses as wins Mitchell Trubisky Jersey , the players remain optimistic.

Sunday certainly provided a reason for hope.

Daniel Palka and Yoan Moncada homered, and Lucas Giolito tossed two-hit ball into the seventh inning, lifting Chicago to a 10-1 victory over the struggling Kansas City Royals.

Moncada was 3 for 3 with a walk and three runs scored a day after leaving a game with a bruised right knee. Palka also had three hits and two RBIs while Tim Anderson and Kevan Smith each hit a two-run double as Chicago pounded out 13 hits.

The rebuilding White Sox had dropped seven of nine before Sunday and are 33-62 overall.

”It wasn’t a very good first half in wins and losses, but I think that’s part of the process,” Moncada said. ”We’re all trying to do our best. We improved during the first half, and I think in the second half we’ll be much better.”

Adalberto Mondesi homered leading off the eighth for the Royals, who are 2-11 in July.

”Losing (stinks), and we’ve lost a lot,” second baseman Whit Merrifield said. ”It hasn’t been fun as far as all that goes. We got four days off. Hopefully, we can regroup and everyone can kind of step back and reset.”

Kansas City decided to go with a bullpen day instead of a regular starting pitcher. The relievers were no match for Giolito (6-8). The right-hander allowed just two hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking three.

”Today was one of those days where we put it all together,” Giolito said. ”I’m looking forward to more of those.”

After Giolito worked out of his only jam in the top of the first with an assist from the defense – Jorge Bonifacio was thrown out trying to score from second on a single to left with one out – Palka’s two-run blast off starter Burch Smith (0-1) gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead.

”I’m not really feeling my best in the first and then an unreal play,” Giolito said of the play at the plate. ”It gets me fired up. It’s like, `Alright Nate Orchard Jersey , no one’s crossing the plate this inning.”’

The lead grew to 4-0 in the third as Jose Abreu scored on a wild pitch and Leury Garcia followed with an RBI single against left-hander Brian Flynn. Chicago then broke the game open with a five-run fifth against left-hander Enny Romero. Moncada, who was hit in the knee by a pick-off throw on Saturday, started things with a lead-off homer. It was his 12th of the season and first right-handed. Anderson and Smith each had a two-run double to make it 9-0.

Moncada doubled and scored in the sixth to make 10-0 before Mondesi’s homer off Jeanmar Gomez broke the shutout.

”It was one of those days,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. ”We didn’t pitch good.”

TAKING A DIVE

When Moncada was hit in the knee on Saturday, he appeared to be in great pain and significantly injured. After discovering he was fine on Sunday, his teammates taped the name ”NEYMAR” above his locker.

”He’s known to be a player who likes to act when people touch him or he gets kicked,” Moncada said of the Brazilian soccer star through a translator. ”They were messing with me.”

START ME UP

Salvador Perez, the Royals’ lone All-Star, will replace injured Wilson Ramos as the AL’s starting catcher in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: RHP Nate Jones (strained forearm muscle) will travel to Triple-A Charlotte during the All-Star break and throw live batting practice on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (4-8, 4.59 ERA) will pitch the opener of a three-game series with Minnesota on Friday night.

White Sox: RHP James Shields (4-10, 4.43 ERA) takes the mound Friday night for the start of a three-game series at Seattle.

—



Curtis Martin took and dished out plenty of helmet hits as he rushed for more than 14,000 yards in his Hall of Fame career.

He just wishes he didn’t have to endure that.

The retired running back sees the NFL’s enhanced rule penalizing players for leading with their helmets as a positive step for the sport. As a member of the player safety advisory panel, he’s part of a leaguewide effort to educate the current generation on how to stay on the right side of the rule and reduce injuries.

“Hopefully we can extend careers and just have less contact to the head, which I just think is beneficial over a long period of time Ramik Wilson Jersey ,” Martin said by phone this week. “We’re really focusing on getting the head (contact) out of the game. I wish it was like that when I was playing. I think it’s something that’s very positive, and I think it’s important as we go forward and the future of the game.”

Martin and former linebackers Willie Lanier , also a Hall of Famer, and Willie McGinest taped minute-long “NFL Way to Play” instructional videos for players stressing stance, posture and technique. For specific examples of head-contact hits that are now 15-yard penalties or possibly ejections, there are situation-specific videos narrated by coaches Anthony Lynn of the Chargers (ball carriers ), Doug Marrone of the Jaguars (offensive linemen ), Dan Quinn of the Falcons (defensive linemen ), Mike Vrabel of the Titans (linebackers ), and Todd Bowles of the Jets (defensive backs ).

“I just had some things I wanted to try to share being a former player and having played that technique and coached that technique,” Vrabel said. “It’s what’s best for the game, the fundamentals. We always try to teach the fundamentals that are good: playing with your knees bent, leading with your hands and playing with your face up.”

After watching those videos, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said making sure players don’t use their helmets as weapons is “a big thing we’re trying to get over.” That’s the NFL’s emphasis: a helmet is for protection and not to be used as a projectile.

“You don’t necessarily want to hurt anyone Tom Jackson Jersey ,” Martin said. “As an offensive player, a lot of times, especially when you see those times when a player or whoever’s carrying the ball they’re very close to the sidelines, but before they go out, they decide they just want to punish that (defensive back). That’s where you see the helmet used as a weapon, and you want to cut things like that out of the game because it’s unnecessary, No. 1, and it just protects the players better.”

Bowles, who played defensive back for eight NFL seasons, illustrated in his video many of the shoulder-to-shoulder hits that are legal and expected. He contrasted them with some players who made helmet-to-helmet contact. Because the enhanced rule now makes helmet-to-anywhere contact a penalty, he knows it’s on coaches to give players a refresher on the proper way to tackle.

“It’s really teaching football to be played the right way,” Bowles said. “There are going to be hard collisions, but if the helmet’s up, and you have to keep the helmet out of the way and hit with the shoulder Eric Dickerson Jersey , which most of the teams do all the time. There’s an occasional head-to-head when someone’s putting their head down, but we don’t teach it any differently.”

Martin fully understands the football mentality of pushing for the extra yard and going for the big hit, so he figures it’ll take time for players to adjust. It’s his hope the culture change toward understanding head injuries helps players accept the updated rule for their own good.

“As former players, we can sit back and see how this rule would’ve been very effective for us when we were playing,” Martin said. “But when you’re in the midst of something, it’s like anything — when you’re in the midst of a problem, it’s hard to see the benefits of (fixing) that problem or the outcome or the potential positive things that can come out of that problem. Now that we’re on the other side, we can see that maybe a little clearer than current players can and as we’re able to inform them and teach, I think that they’ll come around.”
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