The Bengals resolved their biggest offseason question when they gave coach Marvin Lewis a two-year extension through 2019 on Tuesday Cheap Sam Darnold Jersey , providing him yet another chance – a 16th, actually – to try to get a playoff win.

There are a lot of issues to work through before they can even think in those terms.

The contract extension came after two days of discussions between Lewis and owner Mike Brown about how the franchise has to change.

It’s unclear if Brown – a traditionalist who likes to stay with the familiar, including head coaches – will cede much control to Lewis.

Lewis has been the head coach for the past 15 seasons – the second-longest active tenure in the NFL to New England’s Bill Belichick – and was the key to changing Cincinnati from a down-and-out team to respectability.

He hasn’t been able to take it to that next step – win a playoff game. Lewis is 0-7 in the playoffs, the worst coaching mark in NFL history. He wanted to make sure that he and Brown were on the same page about making changes coming off a 7-9 season that ended with their stadium half-empty.

Players realized that a coaching change could ripple through everything.

”You’re going to be going with a new head coach, it could be a completely new staff … there’s just a lot of uncertainty with that,” quarterback Andy Dalton said. ”I think that’s the biggest thing is just the unknown.”

Instead Authentic Da'Ron Payne Jersey , Brown decided to stay with what’s familiar. And now, there are some big offseason challenges.

WHO’S COORDINATING? Lewis’ assistants are up for contract renewals, too. The biggest question is who will be the offensive coordinator next season. Dalton and the offense were best when Hue Jackson was the coordinator in 2015 – Dalton led the AFC in passer rating. Jackson went to Cleveland, and the offense became less creative and less productive under Ken Zampese, who was fired after an 0-2 start this season. Replacement Bill Lazor was confined by Zampese’s system, but got more out of it. Still Mitch Haniger Seattle Mariners Jersey , the Bengals finished last in the NFL in offense for only the second time in club history. They need a coordinator who can redesign and rejuvenate the offense.

WHAT ABOUT THE O-LINE? The Bengals knew that the offensive line was going to be a work in progress with two inexperienced tackles. It was far worse than they’d hoped, unable to protect Dalton or open holes for a running game that was the worst in club history. The offensive line is the first focus of the offseason.

DALTON’S BACKUP: The Bengals have been fortunate at quarterback, with Dalton avoiding significant injury over his career. The one time he got hurt – a broken thumb near the end of the 2015 season – AJ McCarron took over and led the team into the playoffs, giving them a sense of comfort should Dalton go down.

McCarron’s contract is up, and there’s a dispute over whether he’s a restricted free agent – which gives the club some control – or unrestricted, which means he can go wherever he wants. McCarron wants to start somewhere Mike Piazza Jersey , and he knows that it won’t be in Cincinnati. A ruling on his status will come down mid-February and set everything in motion.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT BURFICT? The Bengals’ most valuable defensive player was again one of its least dependable because of suspension, ejection and injuries.

Linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s no-holds-barred style of play got him another three-game suspension, an in-game ejection, and a series of injuries, limiting him to 10 games. He finished with only 1+ sacks. In 2016, he missed five games because of suspension and injury. He’s not going to change his style of play Cheap Marquez Valdes-Scantling Jersey , which means the defense is never sure how much it can count on him week to week.

THE FANS: Attendance dropped significantly at Paul Brown Stadium, which was half-empty for the final game. The Bengals aren’t going to sell tickets until fans are convinced that significant changes are on the way. How do the Bengals get them back while bringing back Lewis?

—

.

Andrew Luck is throwing footballs again.

Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich said Tuesday that Luck has begun to throw as part of the rehab for his surgically repaired shoulder. Luck missed the entire 2017 season because of the injury.

Reich said he hasn't seen Luck in action yet Saquon Barkley Jersey Elite , but the franchise quarterback is clearly making progress after spending time in California working with quarterback mechanics gurus Tom House and Adam Dedeaux.

Luck led the Colts to 11 wins in each of his first three seasons and went to the Pro Bowl three times. He has missed 26 games in the past three seasons and Indianapolis hasn't reached the playoffs since losing the AFC championship "Deflategate" game to New England in January 2015.

Luck is expected to participate when the Colts begin their workout program April 9.

Reich was the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles last season and helped Carson Wentz develop into an MVP candidate before he went down with a torn ACL. Backup Nick Foles stepped in and was sensational in the playoffs, earning Super Bowl MVP honors.

Reich, who got the Colts job when Josh McDaniels backed out to return to New England as offensive coordinator, is excited to work with Luck, one of the NFL's elite QBs when healthy. Reich spoke at his first league meetings as a head coach since replacing Chuck Pagano.

The Colts were 4-12 last season but Reich saw the Eagles go from last place in 2016 to Super Bowl champs.

"No one is playing for second place," Reich said. "We're not playing to just improve. We're playing for championships. I'm not being paid (for rebuilding). There's not one ounce of me that's being patient. There's not one ounce of me that thinks we're in a rebuilding project. Every ounce of me feels like we're winning this year. We were 4-12 last year. That can turn around with a few breaks, staying healthy, a few more players and we can get it done."

The Colts will need Luck healthy to compete in the AFC South.

Indianapolis made a big trade with the New York Jets to potentially add talented players who can contribute right away. The Colts moved down just three spots, from No. 3 to No. 6 overall in the draft Mike Gesicki Dolphins Jersey , and acquired two second-round picks this year and one in 2019.

Don't expect them to draft one of the top quarterbacks in the draft class: Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield.

"I think it's the best class I've ever seen," Reich joked. "They should go 1-2-3-4."

With the bases loaded and the game tied in the 10th inning, Brad Miller plotted his approach as he came to the plate.

”You just look like you’re going to swing and don’t swing,” Miller said.

Miller drew a bases-loaded walk with one out and the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers rallied past the Minnesota Twins, 6-5 on Monday night.

Nate Orf, playing in his first major league game, was hit by a pitch from Zack Littell (0-2) leading off the 10th. Manny Pina followed with a single and Keon Broxton walked.

Pinch-hitter Hernan Perez Seahawks Game Jerseys , hitting against five infielders, hit a grounder to the left side that shortstop Jorge Polanco fielded and fired to the plate to force Orf before Miller got his chance against Littell.

”It’s tough right now,” Littell said, trying to explain his lack of command in the 10th.

Corey Knebel (2-0) pitched a scoreless 10th with a pair of strikeouts for the Brewers, who trailed 5-1 after Robbie Grossman blasted his first career grand slam with two outs in the fifth off Milwaukee starter Brent Suter.

Milwaukee has allowed grand slams in three consecutive games.

Four Brewers relievers combined on five shutout innings.

”Corey had a dynamite inning,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. ”It was an outing for the bullpen. They kept us alive in that game.”

The Brewers rallied against Twins closer Fernando Rodney in the ninth to tie it. After retiring pinch-hitter Eric Sogard, Rodney gave up three consecutive singles to load the bases for Travis Shaw, who tied it with a sacrifice fly. Rodney blew his fifth save opportunity this season.

The Twins tied it at 1 in the third on a one-out RBI groundout by Brian Dozier, one pitch after Dozier appeared to have struck out swinging. Plate umpire Doug Eddings ruled that Dozier had fouled off the pitch Jaguars Ronnie Harrison Jersey , a call argued by Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell.

Suter gave up five runs and nine hits in five innings.

Pina led off the Brewers’ fifth with a homer off Kyle Gibson to cut the Twins’ lead to three. Milwaukee added another run on Miller’s bloop single and pulled to 5-4 when Twins third baseman Willians Astudillo failed to cleanly field Ryan Braun’s grounder near the bag.

Gibson gave up eight hits and three earned runs over five innings.

ORF’S LONG JOURNEY

The undrafted Orf, 28, started at second base. He has been one of the top-producing players in the Brewers’ farm system for many years and fans have long been clamoring for him to be called up, even launching a (hash)FreeNateOrf campaign on Twitter.

”He is one of the more respected and revered players in our organization because of the way he treats people and because of the way he goes about his business,” Brewers general manager David Stearns said.

Orf, whose parents traveled from St. Louis for the game, narrowly missed hitting a grand slam in the fifth but Max Kepler hauled in the deep drive at the center-field wall.

”After I hit it, I was like this is it. This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” Orf said. ”Then he caught it.”

HITTING HURLERS

Gibson Cheap Jason McCourty Jersey , who had singles in his first two at-bats, entered the game with just a pair of career hits in 16 at-bats. His single leading off the third was his first hit since June 2015.

”I’d rather go 0 for 5 and go eight innings,” Gibson said.

Suter singled in his only at-bat and Milwaukee reliever Taylor Williams got his first career hit with a sixth-inning single.

TRAINER’S ROOM:

Twins: Reinstated SS Jorge Polanco following an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. To make room for Polanco, OF Ryan LaMarre was designated for release or assignment. … Recalled RHP Zack Littell from Triple-A Rochester and sent LHP Adalberto Mejia to Rochester.

Brewers: OF Christian Yelich sat out for the fourth consecutive time since leaving Thursday’s game with lower back tightness. ..RHP Aaron Wilkerson was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs when Orf was recalled. …Transferred INF/OF Nick Franklin, who has been out since May with a quadriceps injury, to the 60-day disabled list.

UP NEXT

Twins: Jake Odorizzi (3-5, 4.62 ERA) allowed one run and five hits with 10 strikeouts in a May 20 start against the Brewers but didn’t factor into the decision.

Brewers: Junior Guerra (4-5, 3.05) surrendered one run and four hits in 4 1/3 innings and received no decision in a 3-1 loss to the Twins in Minneapolis on May 20.

—

.

Trevor Bauer is piling up the strikeouts. And Kendall Wright Color Rush Jersey , the Cleveland Indians are piling up the wins.

Bauer (7-5) struck out 11 over 6 1/3 innings to beat Detroit for the fourth time this season, leading Cleveland past the Tigers 4-1 on Saturday night for their sixth straight win overall.

The right-hander recorded his seventh double-figure strikeout game of the season, including five of his last six starts. Bauer has struck out 140 this season and is tied for the AL lead with Boston’s Chris Sale.

”I definitely take pride in it,” Bauer said. ”It’s what I enjoy doing most, punching guys out.”

Bauer’s consecutive games with double-digit strikeouts was interrupted Monday by a rain delay after he struck out eight in seven innings against the Chicago White Sox. He threw 100 pitches and didn’t return after the delay.

”I wish it hadn’t rained last game,” he said. ”It would have been six in a row, but I’ll start a new streak this time.”

Bauer allowed a run in the second inning on a wild pitch and was pulled after Dixon Machado’s one-out single in the seventh. He’s 4-0 with a 1.23 ERA in four starts against the Tigers.

”He’s got quality pitches across the board,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. ”That’s part of what’s making him so good.”

Francisco Lindor hit a leadoff homer in the fifth, and Jose Ramirez – who reached base in his 30th consecutive game – and Edwin Encarnacion had RBI singles in a three-run first.

Cody Allen struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 16th save in 17 opportunities.

Francisco Liriano (3-3) Authentic Customized Patriots Jerseys , making his first start in a month, allowed three runs – two earned – in four innings. The left-hander, who strained his right hamstring against the White Sox on May 26, threw 40 pitches in the first.

”He was rushing and after the first inning we told him you got to slow down,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. ”Just make your pitches and don’t overthrow the ball. We had a chance to get out of there and we cost him some extra pitches in the first.”

Detroit lost its fourth straight and committed three errors. Catcher James McCann dropped a throw from center field that allowed a run to score in the first.

Bauer struck out the game’s first two hitters, but a walk, single and a hit by pitch loaded the bases. McCann struck out, ending the 28-pitch inning. Bauer allowed five hits, walked two 49ers Dante Pettis Jersey , hit two batters and threw 112 pitches.

Cleveland’s first consisted of four hits, two walks, two wild pitches and McCann’s error. Ramirez singled in the first to score Lindor. Encarnacion followed with another single for a 2-0 lead.

Following a wild pitch, Brandon Guyer singled to center. Encarnacion would have been out by 10 feet, but scored on a slide when McCann couldn’t hang on to Leyonis Martin’s throw.

Liriano made his first start since straining his right hamstring against the Chicago White Sox on May 26.

Oliver Perez retired the final two batters in the seventh and Neil Ramirez worked a scoreless eighth.

CAUTIOUS APPROACH

The Indians aren’t going to rush left-hander Andrew Miller to come back from his sore right knee, an injury that has had him on the disabled list since May 26. He won’t throw off a mound for 10 days and there’s no timetable for his return.

”We saw the load he carried a couple years ago,” Francona said. ”For us to get where we want to go, and have the best chance to do that, he’s going to carry a big load. So we feel like being patient is the best chance to get there.”

BUT WHO’S COUNTING?

The first inning lasted 36 minutes and included five hits Youth Kerryon Johnson Jersey , three walks, a hit batter, two wild pitches, an error, nine baserunners and a combined 68 pitches.

QUICK CHANGE

Detroit started the week with a five-game winning streak, but lost twice in Cincinnati and has dropped the first two games of this series.

”You look at Cincinnati, they’re hot,” Gardenhire said. ”We come in here and this team is hot. It’s all part of the schedule. Right now, we are scuffling offensively and it all kind of molds together.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: RHP Johnny Barbato (rotator cuff tendinitis) is on the 10-day disabled list. He allowed five runs in one-third of an inning Friday.

Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (bruised elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Monday. He was struck on the elbow by a line drive hit by Minnesota’s Joe Mauer on June 16.

UP NEXT

Tigers: LHP Matthew Boyd (4-5 http://www.broncosauthorizedshops.com/authentic-isaac-yiadom-jersey , 3.63 ERA) is 1-2 with a 1.78 ERA in six career appearances – five starts – against Cleveland.

Indians: RHP Adam Plutko (3-1, 5.40) will make his fifth career start for Cleveland.

—

The former NFL linebacker known as "Lights Out" will try to punch out an opponent's lights in a bare-knuckle boxing match.

Shawne Merriman has agreed to compete with the World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation on a pay-per-view event in Casper, Wyoming, this fall, the promoters announced Wednesday.

The 34-year-old Merriman was a three-time Pro Bowl selection during his eight-year NFL career with the Chargers and the Bills.

Merriman retired from the NFL in 2013, and he flirted with the idea of becoming a professional wrestler the next year. He has trained in mixed martial arts during his retirement, even considering a professional bout in Japan.

Several UFC veterans also have agreed to fight on the bare-knuckle show in Wyoming.

.

While Kirk Cousins was on his way to visit http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-brandon-parker-jersey , the Minnesota Vikings were moving swiftly toward securing a potential backup.

According to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, the Vikings were working on a trade Wednesday with the Denver Broncos to acquire quarterback Trevor Siemian. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal, first reported by NFL Media, was not final.

Cousins, meanwhile, arrived on a private plane with his wife and infant son before heading downtown for dinner with team officials with all signs pointing to a deal as the new league year began.

Siemian would give the Vikings a capable backup who started 24 games for the Broncos over the last two seasons, with the free agent Cousins the team's primary target. As the Vikings watched quarterbacks Case Keenum (Denver), Sam Bradford (Arizona) and Teddy Bridgewater (New York) all join other teams as the new league year began, they were running out of options on a market that began with an unusually high amount of accomplished quarterbacks but quickly dried up amid the opening flurry. The Jets not only brought in Bridgewater, they re-signed veteran Josh McCown, too.

The Broncos juggled between Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch last season and split the position in 2016 between Siemian and Lynch. Siemian, who was drafted by Denver in 2015 in the seventh round out of Northwestern, has a 79.9 career passer rating with 30 touchdowns and 24 interceptions over the last two years. He was never the favored candidate, but he climbed his way to the top of the depth chart after Peyton Manning's retirement and gave the rebuilding club some decent performances despite some struggles.

The Vikings also still have Kyle Sloter Authentic Vita Vea Jersey , a prospect they signed last September after he was cut in training camp by the Broncos. They even elevated him to the active roster last season to make sure they could keep him, while Bradford was sidelined with a knee injury and Keenum was thriving as the unexpected starter.

Twin Cities television stations staked out the small airport where the Cousins family landed with Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and the restaurant for footage of Cousins, the 29-year-old who also pushed himself up the pecking order with Washington after being drafted in the fourth round in 2012 behind second overall pick Robert Griffin III. Cousins has topped 4,000 passing yards in each of the last three seasons and, despite not owning a single victory in the playoffs, became the most valuable player on this year's free agent market given his age, durability and accomplishments. ESPN reported Tuesday that Cousins will sign a fully guaranteed $84 million contract that spans three years, but his agent said no decision had been made yet.

If the deal gets done as expected and Cousins stays healthy through the preseason, he'll represent the sixth different quarterback start Minnesota's season opener in six years.

The Vikings also let versatile running back Jerick McKinnon leave Wednesday for San Francisco and backup cornerback Tramaine Brock sign with Denver. Nine more of their players became unrestricted free agents, with kicker Kai Forbath, cornerback Terence Newman and punt returner Marcus Sherels atop the list of players likely to return. Guard Joe Berger has not yet decided whether to continue his career for a 14th season or retire.

Solomon Thomas knows the pain of having a loved one take her own life after his older sister killed herself this offseason.

Thomas and his family now want to use the anguish from Ella Thomas’ death on Jan. 23 for a good cause by raising awareness about the dangers of depression and trying to prevent other suicides.

”It’s big to let people know it’s OK to be sad, it’s OK not to be perfect because you never are,” Thomas said. ”There are so many things that happen in life, good, bad Customized Indianapolis Colts Jerseys , stuff that you don’t know about, and it’s going to affect how you feel. That’s huge. It’s about changing the culture of how you’re supposed to feel or act.”

Thomas, a second-year defensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers, will return to his family’s home in the Dallas area this weekend to take part Saturday in The Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk, which benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Thomas has already raised more than $27,000 for the cause.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 44,000 suicides a year in the United States and it is the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 34.

”That’s insane,” Solomon Thomas said. ”That’s a huge deal. That’s a lot of people who couldn’t get help – a lot of people who need help and a lot of people being affected. It’s more than that who are going through depression and going through all the sadness. That needs to be talked about. There needs to be help for everyone out there. I want people to know they can reach out and be loved.”

The 22-year-old Thomas got the news about Ella in a phone call from his father while working out back in Texas. He got plenty of support from the Niners right away with owner Jed York, general manager John Lynch, kicker Robbie Gould and former teammate Elvis Dumervil among the people who came to Texas for the funeral.

Others in the organization have been there with timely texts, cards and other good wishes that have helped Thomas get through this difficult time.

Ella Thomas had been dealing with depression for years and her family had tried to get her help. While Ella was open with her struggles, Thomas knows many others keep those thoughts hidden, sometimes out of fear of a stigma some put on mental illness.

That’s why he thinks it was so important that NBA stars like Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan have been open about their struggles with panic attacks and depression.

It’s also why he is taking part in the walk to let others know they aren’t alone in dealing with these issues.

”Mental health and suicide aren’t things people want to talk about,” Thomas said. ”Mental health Logan Paulsen Color Rush Jersey , depression, it’s a disease just like anything else. And when you talk about other diseases, people talk about them like, `We’ll get you through this,’ whatever. But, then, when you talk about depression or mental health or suicide, people kind of scare away because it’s such a serious topic. You don’t know how to handle it. You don’t want to say the wrong thing to push someone over the edge. But it’s such an important topic, such a serious topic, that people need to start talking about it.”

Like many siblings just two years apart in age, Ella and Solomon clashed at times as youngsters but started to grow extremely close when Solomon was in middle school and Ella started high school.

That friendship endured for the rest of Ella’s life. Thomas, who played football at Stanford, was drafted by the 49ers with the third overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. She came out to watch about six of Solomon’s games as a rookie last year.

”We finished each other’s sentences, all that kind of stuff. She was my best friend,” he said. ”We were always open with each other Authentic Tre'Quan Smith Jersey , never had anything bad, very transparent. If you couldn’t go to Mom or Dad, we were always there (for each other). She always lit up the room. You always knew Ella was there, whether she was just being loud or whether she was just in there trying to talk to people. She was so good with people. She worked in the restaurant industry and obviously she had to be good with people and she always was. She could make a crying baby smile. You always knew Ella was there. She just had this heart, and she loved everyone as hard as she could, whether they deserved her love or whether they didn’t deserve her trust or whether she just met them, she always loved them. That’ll always stick with me, Ella’s heart.”

Thomas keeps Ella’s memory close him with a purple wristband that reads Ella Elizabeth Thomas with a heart symbol and the date of her death. He also never forgets a lesson his sister taught him after she went through a difficult time in high school when her best friend’s brother died.

”She came up to me and she was like, `Solly, we never know when our last day is, I want us to make sure we take advantage of every day and be best friends and love each other as hard as we can for the rest of our lives,”’ he recalled. ”That always stuck home with me, and that’s a lesson I’ll pass along to other people.”

—

.

Prospective Wembley owner Shahid Khan wants to host 2030 World Cup matches and has assured the English Football Association the national stadium can remain the centerpiece of major tournaments if the sale is completed.

England has been exploring a bid for the 2030 centenary World Cup but is yet to say if it will challenge the early applicant from maiden host Uruguay Cheap Mason Cole Jersey , which has launched a joint campaign with Argentina and Paraguay.

Khan told The Associated Press that "very preliminary talks" have been held with the FA about bidding for the FIFA tournament. The 90,000-capacity Wembley, which would be required for the final, is already due to host seven games at the continent-wide European Championship in 2020, including the last three games. England is also vying to host the Women's European Championship in 2021.

"We would want it to host the World Cup and anything else that is available," Khan said in a telephone interview. "The FA still has key assets there they will be getting revenue off. All of us will be aligned to use it and build on the heritage of the place."

Khan, who also owns the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and London soccer team Fulham, hopes his purchase of Wembley from the FA goes through in two to three months after a period of due diligence.

"We are going to be perfectly aligned (with the FA) ... on all the important issues," Khan said.

The FA is still expecting to have use of the national stadium for England games and major cup finals, even if the sale goes through for a price of around 600 million pounds ($840 million).

"Wembley is still going to be an iconic British stadium," Khan said. "We are going to be investing more in it to keep it right up to the leading edge of game-day experience."

There was a large backlash when Wembley's distinctive white twin towers were demolished to make way for the new Norman Foster-designed stadium, which opened in 2007 featuring a "Triumphant Arch" towering 400 feet above the venue.

The reaction has been less hostile to the FA's plans to sell a facility it has owned for only the last two decades as it oversaw the reconstruction at a cost of 800 million pounds.

Gordon Banks, the goalkeeper who helped England win the World Cup in 1966 at Wembley, fears NFL fixtures might take precedence over games for the national soccer team.

"It was a very special place and I don't think we should be selling it," Banks wrote in The Sun newspaper. "Football's gone wild with the money right now. I think it's spoiling the game a bit."

The Sun was one of four British newspapers to use their front or back pages on Friday to gather criticism of the proposed sale, saying "fury erupted."

The Daily Express headline asked Authentic Josh Rosen Jersey , "Is nothing sacred? How on earth can the FA even think of selling Wembley Stadium when your money paid to build it twice."

The Daily Star launched a campaign to "Save Our Stadium," and the Daily Mirror said the FA was "selling football's soul" by selling the "home of the English game to an American billionaire."

Aware he might have to overcome resistance to the deal, Khan knows emotions run high when it comes to the scene of English soccer's greatest triumph in 1966.

"Obviously it has history and you have to respect it," Khan said. "When it comes to a transaction it's a lot of money but it's not the most money I've spent. I've spent a lot more money investing in auto factories in the last 12 months."

Khan built his fortune in the automotive industry after moving to the U.S. from Pakistan. He bought the Jaguars in 2011 and secured a deal to play annual NFL regular season games in London. The sports portfolio was expanded with the buyout of Fulham in 2013.

Rob Harris is at RobHarris and facebook/RobHarrisReports

An NFL team in London? Count on it.

An NBA franchise in Mexico City? Yep, that's coming too.

What was once a pipe dream 鈥?major-league teams based in cities outside the United States and Canada 鈥?is now just a matter of time. The aforementioned cities are the ones most likely to break through first, but others will surely follow when everyone sees how much potential revenue is there for the taking.

"The market is saturated in the U.S.," said Gil Fried, a professor and chair of sports management at the University of New Haven. "They need to find new markets."

The NFL has been trying for years to make inroads in Europe 鈥?especially London 鈥?and those efforts were turned up to full blast by revelations that Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan is attempting to buy Wembley Stadium, a 90,000-seat, state-of-the-art venue known the world over.

Khan brushed off the obvious speculation that this is the first step toward moving the Jaguars to London 鈥?where they already have been playing "home" games since 2013 鈥?but didn't exactly provide a resounding vote of confidence for Jacksonville, one of the smallest markets in the NFL.

"The first thing you want with certainty is you want a venue," he said. "And this gives us a stadium solution, for us or anyone else."

In other words, better get used to calling his team the London Jaguars.

"Shad Khan's purchase of Wembley Stadium portends that a substantive NFL presence in London, and ultimately a franchise Bengals Game Jerseys , is inevitable," said Vince Benigni, a professor of sports communication at the College of Charleston.

The NBA, which last expanded in 2004, is looking to get the jump on Mexico City, a sprawling metropolis of more than 20 million people that opened an NBA-ready arena in 2012.

That facility hosted a pair of NBA regular-season games each of the last two seasons , drawing an average of more than 20,000 fans.

"You can feel it, you can smell it, you can breathe it in the streets." said Gilberto Hern谩ndez, president of the Mexican Basketball Federation. "They're just craving basketball."

Of course, there are a number of challenges that must be addressed before international expansion becomes a reality 鈥?especially so for Mexico City, which is 7,350 feet above sea level (more than 2,000 feet higher than Denver), is plagued by crime and economic-disparity issues Su'a Cravens Jersey Elite , and might have trouble signing top players who are reluctant to step outside their cultural comfort zone.

But the appeal is enormous.

"It's the largest city in the Western Hemisphere," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "It's part of a 130 million-person country. There's a very strong, passionate Mexican-American fan base in the United States. This is also a potential gateway for all of Latin America."

The NHL first floated the prospect of a European division in the late 1960s. Detroit Red Wings owner Bruce Norris was so fixated on the idea that he launched his own team, the London Lions, who played a 72-game schedule against top European teams in 1973-74. Unfortunately, the Lions never had a league of their own, so the team quietly disbanded after that single season, leaving behind nothing more than a cool logo .

Over the last two decades, the NHL has scheduled regular-season contests in Europe and Japan, including two games in Stockholm this past November. The Asian market also remains a top priority, especially heading into the 2022 Olympics in Beijing 鈥?though the league sent mixed signals by refusing to send its players to this year's Winter Games in South Korea.

For the NHL and the NBA, the enormous travel times between North America and either Europe or Asia remain the biggest obstacle to adding teams in those markets. Unless some sort of supersonic transportation becomes available, it would simply be too difficult to incorporate such faraway cities as London and Tokyo into an 82-game schedule, which requires teams to play games all through the week and sometimes on back-to-back days.

Also working against European expansion: the lack on U.S.-quality arenas (even the most modern facilities generally lack the size and amenities to generate as much revenue as their American counterparts) and established basketball and hockey leagues in many countries would surely object to the NBA or NHL coming in to steal their limelight.

For the NFL, the challenges aren't nearly so daunting, and the potential rewards could be even greater for a league that has faced declining TV ratings and lots of bad publicity about the devastating physical toll on its players.

There are no major pro football leagues in Europe. Teams play only once a week http://www.cowboysauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dorance-armstrong-jr.-jersey , generally on Sunday, and the entire regular-season schedule is just 16 games. A team in London would have to make the cross-Atlantic trek no more than eight times a year, and the demands could be lessened by scheduling back-to-back road games, halving the number of long-range roundtrips.

A London team could even maintain its base of operations in the U.S., essentially playing all its games on the road but perhaps making it easier to sign players in free agency and cope with legal issues and currency fluctuations.

Travel would not be a concern for a Mexican team. The NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball have all played regular-season games south of the border 鈥?next weekend, in fact, the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet the San Diego Padres in a three-game series at Monterrey .

MLB seems the most logical candidate to launch a Mexican team, given baseball's popularity and the large number of Latin American players in the majors, but the NBA is leading the way. Silver wants to put a G League development team in Mexico City, testing the waters for a possible NBA franchise.

"As we look down the road, frankly, to see whether there can be an opportunity to even dream about an NBA franchise here in Mexico City, we believe it makes sense as.

Terrell Owens came in wearing a suit spotted with the Pro Football Hall of Fame logo and swapped that out for the prized gold jacket.

His bust? That remained 600 miles away in Canton Trent Murphy Color Rush Jersey , Ohio, along with the seven other members of this year's Hall of Fame class, leaving the stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga all alone to Owens.

And yes, the man known as T.O. later brought out a big bucket of popcorn.

Owens entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a celebration uniquely his own Saturday afternoon at his alma mater before approximately 3,000 fans who frequently cheered, chanted "T.O." and gave him the occasional standing ovation. Owens also made clear why he chose to enter the Hall of Fame with a ceremony in Chattanooga instead of with Ray Lewis, Randy Moss and former Eagles teammate Brian Dawkins in Ohio.

"A lot of people say that I may regret not being in Canton 10, 15, 20 years from now," Owens said. "But just like my choice to be here today, I choose not to live in regret. I will leave a legacy that will leave an imprint on this world forever."

Here鈥檚 a better look at the suit. pic.aknqntn525

鈥?Eric Adelson (@eric_adelson) August 4, 2018

Owens used part of a speech lasting about 39 minutes to explain why he was in Chattanooga instead of Canton, addressing the "elephant in the room."

"It's not because of how many times it took for me to be voted to the hall," said Owens, who got in on his third try 鈥?the same as Joe Namath, for example. "It's about the mere fact that the sports writers are not in alignment with the mission and core values of the Hall of Fame.

"These writers disregarded the system Authentic Geron Christian Jersey , the criteria and bylaws in which guys are inducted, and ultimately the true meaning of the Hall of Fame and what it represents. I wanted to take a stand so the next guy coming after me will not have to go through what I and others have gone through. Whether it's three years or 45 years, you should get what you rightfully earned."

The wide receiver who ranked second in NFL history with 15,934 yards receiving and third with 153 touchdown catches didn't mention that Hall of Famers Dan Fouts and James Lofton also are on the selection committee. Owens later discussed his issue with the current selection process at a news conference that lasted 26 minutes, saying writers never played the game, with no "blood, sweat and tears" invested.

Only one person makes a speech in Canton to introduce an inductee. By holding his own ceremony, Owens heard short speeches from five coaches, including three former position coaches, with James Kirksey and Ray Sherman from the NFL. The university named a street after the Hall of Fame receiver.

A friend of Ray Lewis was at Friday night's gold jacket ceremony and brought it to Chattanooga for T.O. The original plan had been to mail it on Saturday to him.

T.O. said he had a Plan B in case it didn't arrive in time. He also wore a "C'' for Chattanooga pin on each lapel.

Owens thanked everyone from his late grandmother and mother to coaches from his high school days in Alexander City, Alabama, through his time at Chattanooga and into the NFL. At times, he was grateful for help received along the way, cited a Bible verse from Deuteronomy, and even thanked people who "defamed" him behind his back and teammates who hated him.

"This is for you," Owens said.

Near the end of his speech Youth Da'Shawn Hand Jersey , Owens asked anyone who had ever felt isolated, misunderstood or bullied to stand up. Then Owens encouraged them not to be afraid to be themselves.

"We have more commonalities than differences. This entire speech you thought was about me, this was for you," Owens said.

None of his former NFL teammates could be seen in the crowd. Johnny Taylor, the 17th pick overall in the 1997 NBA draft by Orlando, flew in to see his former teammate inducted into the hall. He understands that some people were surprised by Owens' decision.

"He's always going to do it his way and what's beneficial to him and his family," Taylor said. "Me personally, I'm excited that he is doing it here. It means so much to the city, it means so much to the university. It speaks volumes to the type of person that he is, even though other people may think other of him."

Fans wore Owens' No. 81 jersey from his stints in Dallas, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

Watch: Renee Davis of Philadelphia such a big T.O. fan she sold her tickets to Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton to see Owens speak in Chattanooga today. Renee Davis of Philadelphia canceled tickets she bought to see Owens inducted in Canton and arrived in Chattanooga on Friday to see the receiver she called the best ever give his speech. She wore Owens' No. 80 from his college days, bought when he was an NFL rookie.

Missing the Hall of Fame's other seven inductees and all the pageantry of Canton was no loss for Davis.

"Can't compare to being here with my favorite," Davis said. "Can't compare."

Watch: Renee Davis of Philadelphia such a big T.O. fan she sold her tickets to Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton to see Owens speak in Chattanooga today pic.PzuhvfY3lL

鈥?Teresa Walker (@TeresaMWalker) August 4, 2018

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams are trying to get to where the Atlanta Falcons were last season — the Super Bowl.

That’s a lofty goal for the NFL’s youngest team. But Los Angeles (11-5) can take its first step in that direction when hosting the Falcons (10-6) in an NFC wild-card game Saturday night.

In the Rams’ second year in their return to L.A., they will host a playoff game at the storied Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time since the 1978 season.

Atlanta returns to the playoffs after last season’s painful loss in Super Bowl LI. The Falcons led the New England Patriots by 25 points before succumbing http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-billy-price-jersey , 34-28 in overtime.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn isn’t expecting that meltdown to haunt his squad.

“I love the resiliency and the toughness of this team,” Quinn said. “When you’ve been through some of the fire together, you come out the other side stronger as a brotherhood.”

The Rams have done little wrong under rookie head coach Sean McVay. At 31, McVay is the league’s youngest coach and is directing its most prolific offense.

Behind a unit averaging nearly 30 points per game, McVay helped flip a team that went 4-12 last season to NFC West champions and back in the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

Quarterback Jared Goff has gone from bust to being accurate and efficient. Running back Todd Gurley churned out a league-best 2,093 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns.

With wide receivers Sammy Watkins, Roberts Woods and rookie Cooper Kupp, there’s no shortage of targets for Goff to aim his passes.

But the Falcons have a core of players and the motivation from that painful Super Bowl lesson tucked away. They are older and maybe wiser, but the No. 3-seeded Rams, aren’t fretting over their lack of postseason reps.

“I don’t think it is a concern,” McVay said. “When I say that, I have a whole lot of respect for experience and what that does and the value that it provides. But I do think that we’ve got a confident group, a mature group for a young football team.”

How Goff responds to the oversized setting is among the red flags the team’s detractors mention. But after going 0-7 in his rookie year, Goff has thrown for 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions this year in leading a balanced attack. He seems at-ease with the task at hand.

“I think more than anything it’s a big game,” Goff said. “I think that’s what it boils down to and we do have experience with that stuff.

“We played a big game in Seattle a couple weeks ago. We played a big game two weeks ago against Tennessee. We played a big game against the Eagles … we had a bunch of big games against top teams this year and so I think that experience will translate mostly to this game.”

Quinn is familiar with Goff’s offensive coordinator, Matt LaFleur. He held that same position with the Falcons last year.

“What I have been most impressed by is you have to defend the entire field Authentic Oren Burks Jersey ,” Quinn said of LaFleur’s approach. “When you have a team that has the run, has the play-action, the quarterback-boot and stuff, it makes it real difficult and challenging to defend.”

The sixth-seeded Falcons will lean on savvy quarterback Matt Ryan (20 touchdowns, 12 interceptions) and a deep running attack spearheaded by Devonta Freeman (865 yards, seven touchdowns).

Although Julio Jones has had an inconsistent season, he remains dangerous with 1,444 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

While McVay is the youthful vibe of offense, it’ll be the sage Wade Phillips, the Rams’ 70-year-old defensive coordinator doing his best to stop the Falcons.

All of this will be played out in the historic L.A. Coliseum venue with an expected 70,000 on hand to toast the Rams return to the playoffs in L.A. The Rams left Los Angeles and relocated to St. Louis after the 1994 season, an absence that lasted until 2016.

“It’s definitely a cool thing,” Goff said. “After football has been gone here for so long and we came back year two and being able to bring a playoff game to the Coliseum is very cool.”

.

The New Orleans Saints have added four undrafted rookie free agents Cheap Tre'Quan Smith Jersey , including former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett.

The roster moves have been posted on Thursday's NFL transactions list. They include the signings of 6-foot-4, 309-pound South Carolina guard Cory Helms; 6-foot Cincinnati defensive back Linden Stephens; and 6-4, 309-pound Minnesota tight end Nate Wozniak.

Barrett played in 14 games for Ohio State last season, completing 65 percent of his passes for 3,053 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also rushed for 798 yards and 12 TDs.

Stephens broke up a team-high eight passes and intercepted a pass as a Cincinnati senior last season.

Wozniak, a fifth-year Golden Gophers senior, had seven receptions for 104 yards in 2017.

Helms, a fifth-year Gamecocks senior Youth Fred Warner Jersey , played guard and center last season.

The Saints have now signed six rookie free agents since Saturday evening's conclusion of this year's NFL draft.

The Arizona Cardinals search for a starting quarterback didn't take long, as ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that they're expected to sign Sam Bradford on Wednesday:Sam Bradford intends to sign with Arizona, source tells ESPN.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2018Sam Bradford to Arizona: 1-year for $20M, including $15M guaranteed; 1-year option for $20M, per source.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2018Arizona was one of the original four candidates to land Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins (along with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings). However Josh Rosen Youth Jersey , Schefter reported that Cousins is set to sign a three-year deal worth Minny, taking the Cardinals out of the equation.With Carson Palmer retiring after the 2017 season, Arizona needed to find a No. 1 quarterback to complement wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and star running back, David Johnson.The quarterback market has dried up quickly, with Case Keenum (Bradford's former teammate in Minnesota), signing with the Denver Broncos. With Bradford off the market, Teddy Bridgewater and Josh McCown are the best signal-callers available. The New York Jets and Buffalo Bills are probably the best fits.Bradford, 30 Cheap Customized Baltimore Ravens Jerseys , was drafted with the 1st pick by the Rams in 2010. But knee injuries have stalled much of his career, which saw Bradford miss half of 2013 plus the entire 2014 campaign. Knee injuries forced Bradford to play just two games in 2017, and he watched Keenum lead the Vikings for the rest of the season.But in Arizona, Bradford will not be devoid of weapons. Fitzgerald is a sure-fire Hall of Famer, and didn't show any signs of slowing down in his age-34 season. As for Johnson, he broke out in 2016 with 1,289 rushing yards and 879 receiving yards. But he suffered a wrist injury in the 2017 season opener, and didn't return.The NFC West now employs four quality quarterbacks in Bradford Authentic Mike McGlinchey Jersey , Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers), Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks), and Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams). If the Cardinals can get their core players (namely Bradford and Johnson), to stay healthy, they could make this a tight four-way horse race for the division..

Baker Mayfield's first win was beating the clock.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft signed his rookie contract on Tuesday with the Cleveland Browns Quenton Nelson Colts Jersey , who believe the quarterback from Oklahoma can lead them back to respectability and more.

Mayfield finalized his four-year, $32 million deal a day before Cleveland's players are scheduled to report to training camp and avoided being a holdout. Mayfield's contract includes a $22 million signing bonus.

Rookie cornerback Denzel Ward, selected with the No. 4 overall pick, remains unsigned. But the Browns are hopeful they can also get the former Ohio State star under contract before their first practice on Thursday.

One of college football's most popular and polarizing players, Mayfield is not expected to start in his first season for Cleveland. The Browns acquired former Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor during an offseason trade and coach Hue Jackson has made it clear that the veteran will play until Mayfield is ready.

That doesn't mean Mayfield won't try to beat out Taylor.

"I'm always competitive," he said during rookie camp. "It wouldn't matter what (Jackson) was saying in regards to the competition. I'm still going to compete and try and win that job."

Mayfield, who was a two-time walk-on in college, won the Heisman Trophy last season after he passed for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns. Despite some questions about his character after an off-field incident and some well-publicized antics during games, the Browns chose him over several other top-tier college QBs in April's draft.

Mayfield impressed coaches and teammates with his attitude and work ethic during spring workouts Authentic Quenton Nelson Jersey , but he still has a ways to go before he can unseat Taylor, who ended the Bills' long playoff drought last season.

Cleveland has spent nearly the past two decades searching for its franchise quarterback and hope Mayfield can finally end its quest.

The Browns are coming off a 0-16 season, but there is renewed optimism following an offseason roster overhaul that included the acquisition of Taylor, wide receiver Jarvis Landry and linebacker Mychal Kendricks.

After transferring from Texas Tech, Mayfield started 39 games for the Sooners. He finished his career with 14,607 yards passing and 131 touchdowns. He also ended ranked second in FBS history in passing efficiency rating (175.4), third in yards per attempt (9.7) and tied for fourth in touchdown passes.

Carson Wentz lunged to his right and then backpedaled to avoid a rush. After darting forward again, he quickly rolled to his right and took off down the sideline at full speed.

The only reminder Saturday that the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was returning from knee surgery was the brace attached his left leg.

"Obviously he's got some of that Kobe Bryant (stuff) in his knee," defensive end Michael Bennett said with a smile, referring to the offseason knee treatment in Germany the NBA great used to receive. "He probably went to Germany or Switzerland or some (stuff) Giants Nate Solder Jersey , because he's looking really good out there."

How upbeat were the Eagles after Wentz went through 11-on-11 drills with the starters at the first padded practice of training camp? Coach Doug Peterson interrupted new offensive coordinator Mike Groh's press conference with the key question for the Super Bowl champions.

"I know you don't want to put a timetable on Carson, but what's your timetable?" Pederson asked, smirking.

"Great question," Groh said.

Wentz sure looked close to ready, if not already there, during a humid morning practice. Barely seven months removed from tearing the anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in his left knee, Wentz participated in full team drills without limitations. While he tossed two interceptions, he drew rave reviews from his teammates and coaches for his arm strength, accuracy and mobility.

"He's in the right frame of mind. He's making some good throws," Groh said. "As you can see Derrick Nnadi Jersey Chiefs , we're pretty good on defense. Those guys are making it challenging for us on offense, particularly early, first day in pads."

Wentz dazzled in 13 games last season, throwing for 3,296 yards and 33 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. The Eagles led the NFL in scoring and were 11-2 after Wentz went down on Dec. 10.

Behind backup Nick Foles, the Eagles went on to win their first NFL title. But it's clear that even though Foles was the Super Bowl MVP, Wentz will become the starter again when he's ready.

"When you're rehabbing something, it's not an exponential line. It's not you're slowly getting better and then you rapidly accelerate," tight end Zach Ertz said. "There's going to be times in training camp probably where he doesn't feel great or his knee doesn't feel great and they'll back him off."

Because of that, the Eagles remain tight-lipped about whether they expect Wentz under center for the season opener Sept. 6 against Atlanta. It's also uncertain if he'll appear in a preseason game. Wentz didn't speak to reporters after the 2 1/2-hour workout.

"To have everybody out there Eagles Paul Worrilow Jersey , Carson there, in some people's minds is ahead of schedule," Groh said. "But I know this was his target date. So we're happy to have him out there working. It's only going to make everybody better."

NOTES: With several receivers banged up and not practicing, including Alshon Jeffery and Bryce Treggs, the Eagles signed WR DeAndre Carter. The move gives the Eagles the maximum 90 players. ... The team displayed the Lombardi Trophy in a glass case outside the practice fields, allowing fans to snap pictures while standing next to it.

.

The Tennessee Titans say they are releasing defensive lineman Karl Klug after seven years with the franchise.

General manager Jon Robinson said Friday that he appreciates all of Klug’s hard work with Tennessee.

A fifth-round pick in 2011 out of Iowa http://www.lionsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-sylvester-williams-jersey , Klug started eight of his 109 games played for the Titans. Klug had 178 tackles, 21 sacks, 67 quarterback pressures and forced five fumbles. He returned a recovered fumble for a touchdown in 2013 against the Jets.

Klug had 26 tackles and 1 sacks in 15 games last season in his return from a torn Achilles tendon at the end of the 2016 season. That earned him the Titans’ Ed Block Courage Award.

—

Wendy Holdener won a World Cup combined race by a big margin on Friday and set herself up as the favorite for the Olympic gold medal next month.

First-run leader Lindsey Vonn led Holdener by 0.71 seconds after the opening super-G, but dropped back to finish fourth in a rare slalom run for the American star.

Holdener Cheap Michael Dickson Jersey , a Swiss slalom specialist, beat Marta Bassino of Italy by 1.55 seconds. Third-place Ana Bucik of Slovenia, who was 30th-fastest in the opening speed run, was 1.56 seconds behind.

Chasing her 80th World Cup race victory Chris Taylor Jersey , Vonn ended 1.88 back and shrugged her shoulders as home fans cheered to acclaim the winner.

Holdener’s third career World Cup win was her first top-level victory since taking gold in combined at the 2017 world championships in nearby St. Moritz.

Mikaela Shiffrin, the overall World Cup leader, skipped Friday’s race to focus on scheduled weekend events in giant slalom and slalom.

The combined replaced one abandoned in December because of poor weather, also at St. Moritz.

In the original race seven weeks ago Cheap Jeremy Kerley Jersey , an opening slalom run left Vonn with little chance of victory after placing 25th, 3.33 seconds behind Shiffrin. Holdener was poised in second that day.

The Pyeongchang Olympic title in Alpine combined on Feb. 23 could yet be a Shiffrin-Holdener duel to follow their rivalry in slalom, which is scheduled for Feb. 14.

Still, Vonn shapes as a contender for a combined medal having finished fifth in the worlds last year Authentic Martavis Bryant Jersey , less than a half-second from the podium.

.

Sam Bradford has arrived in Arizona Cheap Kyle Lauletta Jersey , acknowledging his difficult history with injuries but saying he feels fine now as he prepares to start at quarterback for the Cardinals under new coach Steve Wilks.

”There has been, definitely, some dark times,” Bradford said at his introductory news conference Friday. ”You fight through that process and every time you turn that corner and you’re able to get yourself back on the field. I feel like I’ve come back mentally tougher and mentally stronger than I was the time before.”

The Cardinals called Bradford’s deal a two-year contract, although the second is a club option. He can earn up to $20 million next season, with $15 million guaranteed.

Bradford, the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, is known for his strong and accurate arm but he has struggled with injuries.

After being named NFL offensive rookie of the year in 2010, Bradford tore his left ACL in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He was traded to Philadelphia in 2015.

Bradford signed with Minnesota in 2016 and started 15 games, completing 71 percent of his passes for 3,877 yards and 20 touchdowns with five interceptions. But he missed most of last season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

”I feel good right now,” he said. ”Obviously, last year was difficult, but after the procedure I had in November I was able to rehab and get myself back in position to play and was able to suit up the two playoff games in Minnesota.”

When asked about Vikings coach Mike Zimmer’s statement that Bradford had a ”degenerative” knee condition, Bradford said, ”I’m not sure what that means, to be honest.”

”Look Michael Gallup Jersey Elite , obviously there’s some wear and tear on my knee,” he said. ”I’ve been through a lot with it, but all I can tell you is how I feel right now and really where it’s gone since I had the procedure in November. It’s done nothing but get better and I feel good at the moment.”

He has appeared in 80 games – all as a starter – for the St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia and Minnesota.

Last season’s injury was particularly devastating, Bradford said, because he was playing well on a team loaded with talent. In the season opener on a Monday night against New Orleans, Bradford completed 27 of 32 passes for 346 yards, three touchdowns and a career-best 143.0 passer rating, earning him NFC offensive player of the week honors. He was injured the following week.

”I think last year was definitely the hardest because I knew how special a group we had last year,” Bradford said. ”Going into the year, we all thought that we had an opportunity to do something. I felt like I played really well during training camp. … In week one, I played great, and I felt really good about where we were as a team. To not be able to do it again, yeah, it was tough.”

The 30-year-old quarterback acknowledged the injuries to wear on him.

”It seems like each time, it’s a little bit tougher mentally,” Bradford said. ”As you get older http://www.packersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-oren-burks-jersey , you just realize how precious each game is and how few of these opportunities you are given. So each time it’s taken away from you, it’s a little bit harder because you realize what you’re missing out on. … To not be able to compete on Sundays, that’s the tough part about it.”

Before agreeing with Bradford, the Cardinals had no QBs on their roster after the retirement of Carson Palmer and the departure of free agents Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert. The Cardinals now have Bradford’s backup lined up after signing Mike Glennon following his release by the Chicago Bears. Glennon gets a two-year deal worth $8 million. The Cardinals probably will add a third quarterback in the draft.

Now, once again, Bradford has to learn a new offense. He said he really doesn’t know offensive coordinator Mike McCoy but talked to him this week. McCoy has said he would build an offense around the things his quarterback does best.

Bradford said he had other opportunities but chose Arizona because of the roster. He also likes that the Cardinals play on grass in front of perennial sellout crowds.

He mentioned the return of running back David Johnson, who missed all last season after breaking his wrist in the season opener. And, of course, there’s wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

”I’ve never played with a guy like that before,” Bradford said. ”Yeah, I’ve played with some good receivers, but when you talk about Fitz, he’s in a class that very few guys are in. To be a part of that and to get to play with him, it’s probably one of the best opportunities of my career.”

NOTES: In addition, the Cardinals signed ex-Cincinnati offensive tackle Andre Smith to a two-year contract and re-signed inside linebacker Josh Bynes to a three-year deal. Offensive lineman Vinston Painter re-signed for a one-year contract. … Arizona was awarded its waiver claim on linebacker Jeremy Cash and released defensive lineman Josh Mauro.

—

>NFL owners will be presented 10 rules proposals at their meetings next week, including changes to the catch rule and to the length of defensive pass interference penalties, and allowing personal fouls to be reviewed by instant replay.The competition committee and several teams are bringing the proposals Connor Williams Cowboys Jersey , which will be reviewed by owners beginning Monday in Orlando.Other suggestions include making permanent spotting the ball at the 25-yard line following a kickoff; adding fouls for roughing the passer and penalties against players in a defenseless posture as reviewable in instant replay; designating a member of the officiating staff at New York headquarters to instruct on-field game officials to eject a player for a flagrant non-football act that drew a flag; and limiting the allowable time for a coach to throw a challenge flag.Included in a dozen bylaw proposals is allowing a player on injured reserve to be traded, and schedule adjustments for western teams playing in the East.Redefining the catch rule is the highest priority, according to Troy Vincent, the NFL’s football operations chief, and Rich McKay, who chairs the powerful competition committee.“We tried to simplify the rule with a three-step process,” McKay said Friday. “Control, two feet down or a body part, and then anything that is a football act. It could be like Jesse James reaching for the goal line .”The Steelers tight end had a likely winning touchdown catch overturned against New England, one of the most critical plays of last season. In 2018, if the new definition of a catch is passed, it would be a touchdown.“We got rid of ‘going to the ground,’ which was definitely causing some issues on these calls,” McKay added of the process of completing a catch that has caused so much consternation.Vincent noted that despite slight movement of the ball in a receiver’s hands, that is not loss of possession. Under the proposal, it would constitute a reception.“With movement (of the ball), you can still have control with movement Ender Inciarte Jersey ,” Vincent said. “That’s also addressed in the new proposal language.”Equally controversial has been the defensive pass interference call. The Jets are proposing a change from a spot foul to a 15-yard penalty 鈥?unless the foul is determined by officials to be intentional and egregious. That suggestion drew plenty of discussion among competition committee members; both Vincent and McKay said it had “momentum” heading into the owners meetings.Vincent was an outstanding defensive back in the NFL and has deep insight into pass interference.“The difference between college ball and professional defensive backs is the (pros) were too skilled and too smart, and you can play the play, you can be strategic about it,” he said. “You don’t want a defensive back being able to strategically grab a guy, eliminate the options (on a play).“As a former defensive back, on a professional level you can frankly bait a quarterback into doing whatever you want.”McKay noted there was one 50-yard or longer defensive pass interference call last season, three of 45 or longer, and seven of 40 or more.Allowing officiating director Al Riveron or designated staff members at New York headquarters to call for an ejection of a player is a proposal emanating from committee meetings with game officials.“They were quick to point out in these situations where a lot is going on 鈥?a fight or something else in dead ball situations 鈥?many times they are at a loss to capture exactly what happened and the right numbers (of offending players),” McKay said.Also proposed:f a team opens overtime with a field goal, then gets a turnover on the opponent’s next possession, that play will be run to conclusion. Previously, if the team that kicked the field goal fumbled the ball and it was run back for a touchdown by the opponent, that TD wouldn’t count because of a change of possession. Now, it would count.Such a situation has never occurred since the rule change allowing each team an OT series.wners will be asked to approve allowing video use on sideline and coaches’ box tablets. Now, only photos can be examined.oaches will have a set amount of time during a commercial break to throw a challenge flag.xtra points need not be converted at the end of regulation after a team scores the winning touchdown.McKay pointed to the end of the Saints-Vikings playoff game.eams seeking head coaches after the season be allowed to negotiate and sign a contract, though the coach would still be prohibited from doing any work for his new team until his club is done in the postseason..

Former Cowboys Pro Bowlers Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray find themselves united again Sean Newcomb Atlanta Braves Jersey , only now they are joined as one-time Fantasy football anchors who have not received a nibble from an NFL team.

Both will sign at some point between now and the start of the regular season, as injuries and/or depth issues arise in training camps. When it comes to whether Bryant and Murray still have any Fantasy value, drafters will have to proceed with caution.

Regardless of where he signs, the days of viewing Bryant as a WR1 are long over. Last season marked the third straight season he both failed to eclipse more than 838 yards and catch barely half of the passes targeted to him. After a 2014 season in which he caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards and a league-high 16 touchdowns, Bryant's receptions and yardage per game have taken a dive. Since then, those numbers have dropped as low as 3.4 catches per game and 44.6 yards per contest, both in 2015.

A best-case scenario for Bryant would be to go to a pass-friendly team with a competent quarterback, which would offer some hope for him as a WR3/Flex option. At 29, there's a glimmer of optimism that he can be useful but, at least for now, Bryant is in "Hmm...he's still on the board?" stage of his career where he's a late-round play.

Murray has never been the same since the Cowboys gave him a whopping 457 total touches in 2014, the sixth-highest total in NFL history. He was woefully ineffective with the Eagles in 2015 before a revival with the Titans a year later when he accounted for 1,664 yards from scrimmage on 346 total touches Cheap Chukwuma Okorafor Jersey , sparking false hope. Murray fell to 925 yards last season on 223 total touches, his lowest since 2012.

At 30, Murray is probably at the stage of his career where he's more of a specialist. He remains a good receiver, so it's not hard to envision him being a third-down back with the potential of 45-50 catches a season. After 1,921 touches in his seven-year career, Murray no longer can be considered a workhorse back, but there can be a place for him on a Fantasy roster, especially in PPR formats.

BROOKLYN NETS D12

Dwight Howard has another jersey for his collection after being acquired by the Nets from the Hornets on Wednesday. No longer the monster he was in his prime for Fantasy basketball players, Howard still put up 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game last season, ending his 2017-18 campaign with 11 double-doubles in his last 12 games.

Howard will be 33 early next season and still can solid production. In an NBA deep with younger, more versatile centers, Howard will fall into the mid-to-late stages of most drafts yet will also have to be considered a strong Sell High candidate with the Nets set to give second-year center Jarrett Allen (who is a strong sleeper) more minutes.

BREAK ON THROUGH (To the Other Closer)

Giants closer Hunter Strickland slammed (or rather, punched) away his potential career year when he lost a one-round bout with a clubhouse door. Strickland Sam Darnold Jersey Youth , who had 13 saves, will now miss up to eight weeks.

Enter Sam Dyson, who now becomes San Francisco's stopper after rebounding from a horrific 2017 campaign. Dyson isn't a hard-throwing beast, but he did have 38 saves for the Rangers in 2016 and has the support of manager Bruce Bochy. That alone will raise his value in leagues where he currently sits on the waiver wire.

This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, ://FNTSY

Power got the Los Angeles Dodgers started. Patience gave them a win.

Max Muncy, Yasmani Grandal, Chris Taylor and Joc Pederson hit solo homers and Alex Verdugo scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning, lifting Los Angeles to a 7-6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in a matchup of division leaders Monday night.

Maikel Franco hit a pair of solo homers and Rhys Hoskins and Odubel Herrera also went deep for the Phillies.

Verdugo led off the ninth with a walk against closer Seranthony Dominguez (1-3). Pederson followed with a single. After Manny Machado struck out, Muncy walked. Verdugo scored when catcher Jorge Alfaro couldn’t catch Dominguez’s outside pitch. Dominguez exited after walking Grandal. Matt Kemp greeted Luis Garcia with an RBI single to make it 7-5.

”We felt him out, looked at a lot of tough pitches, and came back with a big inning,” Kemp said of Dominguez.

Scott Alexander (2-0) tossed a scoreless inning for the win. Kenley Jansen finished for his 29th save in 32 chances. Franco hit Jansen’s first pitch out to left for his 15th homer.

Chase Utley, a six-time All-Star second baseman during Philadelphia’s glory days a decade ago, received two loud Frank Ragnow Jersey , standing ovations before the game and when he came to the plate for the first time. Utley recently announced he’s retiring after the season so this will likely be his final series playing in Philadelphia unless the Dodgers face the Phillies in the postseason. He went 0 for 4.

”It was a lot of fun, it was intense, it was emotional,” Utley said. ”Fans here mean a lot to me. The respect they’ve shown me the last three years is special.”

Down 4-1 in the fifth, the Phillies rallied against Ross Stripling. With two outs and runners on second and third, Hoskins ripped a 2-2 pitch out to left-center for his 17th homer.

Herrera followed with his 18th homer into Philadelphia’s bullpen to make it 5-4.

Machado lined an opposite-field triple to right off reliever Tommy Hunter in the seventh and scored on Muncy’s sacrifice fly.

Machado started at third base for the first time this season, replacing Justin Turner. The four-time All-Star was acquired from Baltimore last week. He switched to shortstop, his original position, at the start of this season.

Machado heard cheers from Phillies fans, who were disappointed he wasn’t traded to Philadelphia but remain hopeful the team signs him in free agency.

Muncy and Grandal hit back-to-back homers in the first inning to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.

Taylor made it 3-0 in the third with an opposite-field homer to right. Pederson connected off Yacksel Rios in the fourth.

”Extremely tough loss but really proud of the tenacity of our club,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said.

STARTING TIME

Dodgers: Stripling gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Phillies: Zach Eflin lasted only 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and five hits in his shortest outing this year.

MANAGER UTLEY?

Utley said he wants to spend more time with his wife and two sons, but he also wants to find a way to be around baseball.

”At the end of the year, I’d like to make my own schedule to be honest with you Will Dissly Jersey Elite ,” he said. ”But I feel like I can give back in a number of different ways. Yeah, I want to be involved. Managing, coaching, I’m not quite sure that’s the path, but you never know.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: Turner went on the 10-day disabled because of a strained groin and Verdugo was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Phillies: Eflin was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list before the game.

UP NEXT

RHP Kenta Maeda (7-5, 3.12 ERA) goes against Phillies All-Star RHP Aaron Nola (12-3, 2.30) on Tuesday night. Maeda is 3-1, 4.37 in five career starts vs. Philadelphia. Nola, who struck out two batters in a scoreless inning in the All-Star game, is 2-0, 2.93 in two starts vs. Los Angeles.

—

.

The Latest on the NFL combine (all times EST):

11 a.m.

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott says cutting quarterback Tyrod Taylor is not part of the team's current plans Da'Ron Payne Jersey , though he won't rule out trading the three-year starter.

McDermott says it's too early to remove any option off the table "other than cutting him at this point," in answering a question as to whether the Bills would consider trading Taylor. "We're in a good position with some options out there, so that'll work itself out," he added at the NFL combine on Wednesday.

Taylor's future in Buffalo remains in question even though he helped lead the Bills to a 9-7 record and clinch the team's first playoff berth since 1999. Taylor has a 23-21 record with the Bills and went 8-6 last season while also being benched for one game in favor of rookie Nathan Peterman.

The Bills considered cutting Taylor last March before the quarterback agreed to restructure his contract by reducing it from a five-year to a two-year term.

Taylor enters the final year of his deal, and is due a $6 million bonus in two weeks. General manager Brandon Beane previously said the Bills could comfortably afford carrying Taylor's contract this year, which will count $18 million against the salary cap.

8:45 p.m.

Jon Gruden is back from the broadcast booth and the highest-paid coach in NFL history.

Unlike his colleague, Matt Patricia didn't balk at leaving Bill Belichick's brigade.

Andy Reid is in the midst of another major roster shake-up and his protege DJ Moore Youth Jersey , Doug Pederson, is basking in Philadelphia's first Super Bowl triumph.

All are in Indianapolis at the NFL combine this week hoping to better their chances of winning in 2018.

Top college prospects, including a group of quarterbacks that could produce five first-round draft picks, will spend four days getting poked and prodded, tested and timed.

GMs and coaches will do their best to get to know them off the field as well, either in formal 15-minute interviews or during a mixed zone after their physical assessments.

鈥?Nick Foles has a calling far greater than throwing touchdown passes.If Foles leads the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots, he’ll become a folk hero in a city that has desperately waited for a championship since 1960.But that won’t define Foles in the big picture. He has more important plans for his future.“I want to be a pastor in a high school Youth Will Hernandez Jersey ,” Foles said Thursday. “It’s on my heart. I took a leap of faith last year and signed up to take classes at seminary. I wanted to continue to learn and challenge my faith. It’s a challenge because you are writing papers that are biblically correct. You want to impact people’s hearts.”Foles is part of a team that has a strong Christian brotherhood. MVP contender Carson Wentz has been outspoken about his faith and many players spend a lot of time together in prayer, studying the Bible and sharing devotionals.Foles was one of the study leaders during his first stint in Philadelphia and has become a go-to source for younger guys. Left guard Stefen Wisniewksi also plans to become a pastor after his career ends.“Guys like Nick and Wis can spit out scripture all day and it’s awesome to take in that knowledge,” said special teams ace Kamu Grugier-Hill.Foles is passionate about helping students find their way and plans to use his experiences to inspire and encourage them.“When I speak to (students), that’s such a time of young men and young women’s lives that there’s a lot of things that are thrown at them. So much temptation in this world, so much going on with social media and the internet that you want to talk to them and address it and share all the weaknesses I have because I’ve fallen many times,” Foles said. “It’s something I want to do. I can’t play football forever. I’ve been blessed with an amazing platform and it’s just a door God has opened, but I still have a lot of school left and a long journey.”Foles http://www.panthersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-donte-jackson-jersey , who was offensive MVP of the Pro Bowl following the 2013 season, contemplated retirement after he asked the Rams to release him last year. He ended up going to Kansas City and reuniting with Andy Reid, who drafted him in the third round in Philadelphia in 2012.He says prayer helped him decide to stay in the NFL, and he returned to the Eagles to be Wentz’s backup. When Wentz tore his left ACL in Week 14, Wentz stepped in and led Philadelphia. He was spectacular against Minnesota in the NFC championship, tossing four touchdown passes in a 38-7 win.Foles 鈥?not Tom Brady 鈥?has the highest passer rating in postseason history for quarterbacks who’ve thrown at least 75 passes. Foles has completed 72 of 96 passes for 793 yards, with five touchdowns and no interceptions in three games for a 116.4 passer rating.“It took a lot more faith to come back and play than it would’ve to go in the other direction Redskins Pernell McPhee Jersey ,” Foles said. “Either way would’ve been fine. Either way, I would’ve trusted in God. I would’ve done something else and glorified God in that instance.“The reason I decided to come back is I’ve loved the game of football since I was a kid, I loved playing sports, I loved being part of a team, and I knew as a person that the more growth I’ve had and the more opportunity I would have to glorify God and trust in him would be to go back and play football.”AP NFL website: .

The Philadelphia Phillies won another one-run game to extend their winning streak to six games.

Nick Williams Youth Daryl Worley Jersey , Scott Kingery and Jorge Alfaro drove in runs on consecutive at-bats in the seventh inning to help Philadelphia win 3-2 on Saturday.

With two outs in the seventh, Williams sent a line drive down the right field line that took a funny hop off the fence and eluded Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco, who bobbled the ball. The relay throw still made it to third baseman Colin Moran ahead of Williams, but he able to avoid the tag for a triple.

Carlos Santana scored on the play. Kingery followed up with a single up the middle and then scored when Alfaro hit a double to right-center to give the Phillies all they’d need to clinch their third straight series win and improve to an MLB-best 19-7 in one-run games.

”Another win in a one-run game,” manager Gabe Kapler said. ”I think that’s something to really be proud of and something we continue to focus on.”

Jake Arrieta (6-6) worked around six hits with the help of eight strikeouts to hold the Pirates to two runs over seven innings. It was Arrieta’s first win in eight starts Authentic Mitchell Trubisky Jersey , though it didn’t look that way at first.

”There’s no perfect formula for how the game’s going to play out,” Arrieta said. ”Yeah, you want to score first. You want to score often. Sometimes that doesn’t happen.”

Pirates starter Jameson Taillon (5-7) was charged with all three runs. He struck out eight and walked none in his 77 pitches over 6 2/3 innings. He had allowed just two singles and hadn’t allowed a runner to even get into scoring position coming into the seventh inning. Reliever Edgar Santana allowed the go-ahead run to score with Alfaro’s double. The three runs were scored on three straight pitches.

”I was really excited and looking forward to being the guy to put an end to our tough streak here,” Taillon said. ”I’m at 68 pitches without a guy touching second base and someone’s warming up? That’s tough. So, I don’t know. I haven’t been pitching the greatest. I understand the trust isn’t there. “

Starling Marte singled and scored in the first and homered in the second as part of a three-hit afternoon to stake the Pirates to an early lead. Pittsburgh has lost five straight.

Victor Arano worked around a leadoff double in the ninth for his second save.

ROSTER MOVES

The Pirates activated right-handed reliever Michael Feliz from the 10-day disabled list Youth Nick Nelson Jersey , selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Alex McRae from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned relievers Dovydas Neverauskas and Josh Smoker to Indianapolis.

Feliz had been on the disabled list since June 24 with a right shoulder strain. He has a 5.51 ERA in 33 appearances this season. It’s McRae’s first MLB call-up. He had a 4.61 ERA in 17 appearances – 16 starts – with Indianapolis. He’ll work out of the bullpen in Pittsburgh.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: INF Cesar Hernandez did not start after fouling a ball off his foot on Friday. He flew out in the eighth as a pinch hitter.

Pirates: C Francisco Cervelli (concussion) returned from his rehab assignment and took batting practice before the game. He hopes to be activated from the disabled list on Sunday. . RHP Joe Musgrove (finger infection) threw a bullpen session. He expects to return from the disabled list on Tuesday. . RHP Chad Kuhl (right forearm strain) is getting a second opinion on his injury and expects to be out until after the All-Star Game.

UP NEXT

Phillies: Drew Anderson is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make his 2018 debut. Anderson was 5-3 with a 4.15 ERA. It will be his third career MLB appearance.

Pirates: Nick Kingham (2-4, 4.70 ERA) will try to shake off a career-worst appearance last time out against Los Angeles on July 2, when he gave up seven runs in three innings. The rookie is 0-4 over his last five starts.

The Boston Red Sox acquired veteran first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night.

Dave Dombrowski, the Red Sox president of baseball operations, announced the deal after Boston’s 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Boston sent minor league infielder Santiago Espinal to Toronto.

Pearce’s cost to the Sox will be $1.5 million. The Blue Jays will give Boston $1 Ronald Jones II Youth Jersey ,658,602 to cover part of the $3,158,602 remaining in the $6.25 million salary of Pearce, who can become a free agent after the World Series.

The 35-year-old has hit .291 with four home runs and 16 RBIs in 26 games for Toronto this season. Pearce has a career average of .255 and 83 career home runs and 268 RBIs. Boston manager Alex Cora said the Red Sox are adding a strong batter they can use against left-handed pitching.

”It’s one more weapon that we have. We got better tonight Brian Allen Color Rush Jersey ,” Cora said. ”It’s good to have him.”

Pearce could join the Red Sox this weekend in New York when they face the division-rival Yankees.

—

.

Seattle didn’t make the playoffs Authentic Dalton Schultz Jersey , but its defense essentially did.

The scheme that carried the Seahawks to consecutive Super Bowls (2013-14) has become increasingly popular around the league. It helped Atlanta get to the big game last year and was the catalyst for Jacksonville’s stunning turnaround this season. It also got rave reviews down the stretch in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

In a copycat league, this is the one being emulated right now.

And for good reason. The Seahawks rode the scheme to six straight playoff berths between 2012 and 2016, and as more of Pete Carroll’s defensive assistants moved on to become coordinators and head coaches elsewhere, they brought it with them.

Now, it spans coast to coast.

”It really takes on the flavor of the coaches that are doing it, so they have their uniqueness,” Carroll said. ”But there are a lot of similarities.”

Similar results, too.

The Jaguars ranked second in the NFL in yards and points allowed this season, relying on their defense to mask offensive deficiencies. The Chargers ranked third in scoring defense, allowing just two opponents to top 21 points in their final 11 games. The Falcons (eighth) and the injury-riddled Seahawks (13th) weren’t far behind. The 49ers finished 25th at 23.9 points a game, but were considerably better over the final five weeks of the regular season. They allowed 19.9 points during a five-game winning streak that included victories against three playoff teams.

Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, Atlanta defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel, San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn and Jacksonville defensive coordinator Todd Wash all spent time in Seattle under Carroll.

Bradley Chris Iannetta Colorado Rockies Jersey , Manuel, Saleh and Wash were on the same staff in 2012. Former Oakland defensive coordinator Ken Norton also was there and had the Raiders playing the Seattle scheme until he was fired in late November.

”It’s good. It’s nice,” Carroll said. ”I love that the guys are getting the opportunities and they are doing stuff.”

Seattle players don’t seem as ready to credit anyone for doing it as well as they did while picking up the ”Legion of Boom” nickname in 2012.

”There is only one Seattle Seahawks,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said.

Maybe so. Seattle allowed the fewest points (14.4) and yards (273.6) in the NFL during the 2013 season and forced a league-high 39 turnovers. The Seahawks emphatically stated their case as a generational defense – right up there with the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 2000 Baltimore Ravens – with a 43-8 drubbing of Denver in the Super Bowl. The Broncos shattered an NFL record with 606 points during the regular season but were overmatched on the NFL’s biggest stage.

That same season, thousands of miles away, Bradley and Wash were building the foundation for Jacksonville’s current defense.

Two years later, Quinn was implementing it in Atlanta with some help from Manuel. Quinn’s offensive coordinator at the time was Kyle Shanahan, who saw the defense every day in practice and knew he wanted it to be part of his rebuild with the 49ers this season. He hired Saleh. And former Jaguars head coach Bradley resurfaced with the Chargers.

”It’s a very sound scheme that starts with stopping the run,” Shanahan said. ”It makes you work all the way down the field, so it’s extremely tough to get explosives on. It’s tough to go against. They make you work for everything, and it’s something that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every week. It’s something that if you just do over and over and over again, it’s hard not to get better at it.”

The premise of the Seattle defense is that it uses an eight-man box to stop the run (one safety positioned close to the line of scrimmage) and a single-high safety who can get sideline to sideline in ”cover three” (a three-deep zone in which defensive backs split coverage areas into three sections). Cornerbacks play a lot of aggressive, bump-and-run coverage that works best when the four defensive linemen are pressuring quarterbacks. Linebackers are usually undersized and fast.

It’s a 4-3 base defense that incorporates many elements of the popular 3-4.

”We are all different in our own ways,” Manuel said. ”But … just the understanding of methodically making a team have to go 13 Customized Houston Texans Jerseys , 14 plays to score and play with great red-zone defense and understand that taking the ball away is the most important thing. Plays are going to happen that are big, but if you eliminate the ones that you know are about to happen, offenses have to do something else.

”You call plays that guys understand. You can get exotic (and create) paralysis by analysis; guys are overthinking on the field. That’s part of what you see in this defense. I guarantee you in each one of these (Seattle-influenced) defenses, guys are flying around and playing fast because they’re not thinking.”

Regardless of the schematics and subtleties, the common thread is solid – more like star – players.

Seattle has Wagner, cornerback Richard Sherman, free safety Earl Thomas and strong safety Kam Chancellor, among others.

The Chargers boast disruptive pass-rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, linebacker Denzel Perryman and cornerback Casey Hayward. They tied for fifth in the NFL with 43 sacks.

The Jaguars had the second-most sacks (55) in the league thanks partly to Pro Bowl defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Malik Jackson and budding star Yannick Ngak NFL owners approved a new policy aimed at quelling the firestorm over national anthem protests sparked by Colin Kaepernick and polarized by President Trump, permitting players to stay in the locker room during the ”The Star-Spangled Banner” but requiring them to stand if they come to the field.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said the change was approved unanimously by the owners at their spring meeting in Atlanta, but even that was up for debate.

The head of the San Francisco 49ers – Kaepernick’s former team – said his franchise abstained from the vote. CEO Jed York said he wasn’t comfortable with a process that didn’t directly involve the players.

”I want to work with my team to make sure everything we do is about promoting the right types of social justice reform and getting to a better America,” York said.

The NFL Players Association said it wasn’t consulted about the new policy and would challenge any changes that violate the collective bargaining agreement.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – A Santa Clara County judge ruled that San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster will not have to stand trial on domestic violence charges after determining there was no evidence that Foster ever hit his ex-girlfriend.

Judge Nona Klippen said prosecutors didn’t meet the burden of probable cause on charges of felony domestic violence and forcefully attempting to dissuade a witness.

Foster was also charged with felony possession of an assault weapon after officers found a Sig Sauer 516 short-barreled rifle in his home while investigating his ex-girlfriend’s domestic violence report. That charge was reduced to a misdemeanor.

The 49ers have not allowed Foster to take part in the offseason program while he dealt with these charges and general manager John Lynch had said he would be cut from the team if it was determined that he hit a woman. Foster will be allowed back Thursday now that the domestic violence charges have been dropped.

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) – Richie Incognito Blake McLaughlin Ducks Jersey , the NFL offensive lineman who was once suspended for bullying a teammate, was taken into custody Wednesday for psychiatric examination after an incident at a Florida gym.

Boca Raton police spokeswoman Jessica Desir said officers received a call Wednesday morning from a patron at Life Time Gym about a disturbance involving Incognito. He was taken into custody under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows for involuntary psychiatric commitment for people seen as a danger to themselves or others. She did not have details about the disturbance.

The 34-year-old Incognito announced this year that he was retiring after 11 seasons in the NFL, the last three with the Buffalo Bills. The Bills released him from their reserved/retired list on Monday, leaving open the possibility he could sign with another team.

PRO BASKETBALL

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales has apologized to Bucks player Sterling Brown for a January arrest that started with a parking violation and escalated to include the use of a stun gun, and he said some officers were disciplined.

Brown, who is African-American, says the incident was ”an attempt at police intimidation” and that it ”shouldn’t happen to anybody.” Meanwhile, community groups in Milwaukee are weighing in, too – criticizing police for how they handled Brown.

Morales’ apology on Wednesday came as police released body-camera footage that showed how a simple interaction over an illegally parked car quickly escalated. The video represents another setback for a department that for years has tried to rebuild its image and relationship with Milwaukee’s black residents after several high-profile cases of police misconduct.

Police did not identify the races of the officers, but most of the officers in the video appeared to be white.

ATHLETE ABUSE

WASHINGTON (AP) – Lawmakers used an emotionally charged House subcommittee hearing to get answers about what they portrayed as the U.S. Olympic Committee’s slow-moving, underfunded response to a steadily widening sex-abuse scandal in Olympic sports.

CEO Shellie Pfohl of the U.S. Center for SafeSport spoke during a hearing that had one representative choking back tears and another screaming at the witnesses.

Pfohl told lawmakers that when the office opened in 2017, it received 20 to 30 calls a month. She said in the wake of the (hash)MeToo movement and the Larry Nassar sentencing, it’s increased to 20 to 30 per week.

Despite the widening workload Steelers Authentic Jerseys , the center has only 12 investigators and operates on an annual budget of $4.3 million.

Pfohl said she’s always in search of more money. The USOC’s acting CEO, Susanne Lyons, conceded seven years was too long to get the center up and running.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Sports coaches, the types of paid employees who allegedly learned Larry Nassar was molesting gymnasts and other athletes before the sexual abuse scandal broke, would still not be required to report such suspected abuse to the authorities under a watered-down proposal to expand Michigan’s mandatory reporting law.

A state House committee passed a bill that would add physical therapists, physical therapist assistants and – in a reversal from a day earlier – athletic trainers to the list of mandatory reporters. But it drew swift criticism for still backing away from Senate-passed legislation that also would require college employees, coaches and volunteers to report abuse, citing cost concerns, unintended consequences and other issues.

Sen. Rick Jones, a Grand Ledge Republican, said he would move to add paid coaches in his commit.

Josh Rosen jogged onto the field as an Arizona Cardinal for the first time on Friday and took a moment to reflect.

"When I stepped in the huddle Authentic Scott Kazmir Jersey ," the young quarterback said, "I kind of looked at the guys and I'm like, 'This is pretty cool.'"

Rosen was the center of attention, as usual, on the first day of Cardinals rookie minicamp, starting out slowly but finishing with a crisp performance capped by a long TD pass to fellow rookie and camp roommate Christian Kirk.

Although he may have to wait awhile, Rosen is the Cardinals' quarterback of the future after the team traded up five spots to take him No. 10 overall in the draft. He's already signed his contract with Arizona.

After Friday's workout, he talked about how he's approaching his new job and even touched on how he deals with being such a lightning rod for criticism 鈥?mainly centering on his personality and often from people who don't really know him.

"You ignore it," Rosen said. "It's only hard if you make it hard. If you're Googling your name every other day and trying to like reach out to people, yeah, you can make it harder on yourself. But as far as I know if you keep your phone limited to messages and calls and you don't read too much. The only thing that matters are the guys in the building and that's what I'm trying to keep it at right now."

He said he's had a couple of conversations with Larry Fitzgerald, the 14-year veteran who is among the most-admired players in the game for his behavior on and off the field.

"He's probably one of the greatest to ever do it," Rosen said. "So I'm just trying to emulate every little thing he does, how he approaches the game as such a professional. There's a lot to take from it."

He's also heard from Sam Bradford, the player signed to be Arizona's opening-day quarterback next season. Bradford offered to help in any way with Rosen's development.

"I think it speaks to him as a person how he's willing to sort of embrace the competition but also embrace sort of the team aspect," Rosen said. "And I'm the same way. Regardless of starter or backup, I want the Arizona Cardinals to do the best possible, because I want to be in the Super Bowl. If that means for this year the best way to do that is to have Sam start Luis Gonzalez Jersey , then so be it. But I'm helping, I'm going to push him every single day and likewise I would hope he would do the same thing with me."

The most important thing for him to show on his first day, Rosen said, was "demeanor."

"Even if I don't know what's going on, at least act like I know what's going on," he said. "... Be confident, be firm, snap the ball, get back and do it again."

In truth, new Cardinals coach Steve Wilks is impressed with how quickly Rosen is picking up the offense of coordinator Mike McCoy.

"Phenomenal," Wilks said. "The guy's extremely smart. We said that from Day 1. He's picking up the offense. He's doing a great job there, taking control of the huddle and getting everybody in line. No questions about that from the standpoint of his leadership."

Although Rosen said that nine teams 鈥?later amended to three to reflect the QBs selected ahead of him 鈥?made big mistakes on draft night, Wilks said, "I don't think he's out to try to prove anything to anyone.

"He's being his own person. We have accepted him for the person that he is and the player that he is. I don't think we have a problem at all. We've had our talks and it's all about football and staying focused and really concentrating on that."

Rosen, Wilks like to say, "is wired different, and I like that."

Adrian Peterson’s short stint in Arizona is over. Jordy Nelson long and productive stay in Green Bay has ended, too.

Meanwhile Cheap Sam Darnold Jersey , Drew Brees is staying put in the Big Easy, Case Keenum is headed to the Rocky Mountains, and Kirk Cousins will make his first visit as a free agent to Minnesota. The Vikings long have been considered a natural landing spot for one of the most valuable quarterbacks available.

One day before the league’s new year begins, veteran running back Peterson was released by the Cardinals on Tuesday, and receiver Nelson – Aaron Rodgers‘ favorite target – was let go by the Packers.

Seven-time All-Pro running back Peterson 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, who turns 33 next week, ranks 12th in the NFL in career rushing with 12,276 yards.

Nelson had 550 receptions and 69 touchdown catches in 10 seasons in Green Bay. But his production declined last season with Rodgers sidelined much of the year by a collarbone injury. He missed the 2015 season with a major knee injury, and then was the 2016 Comeback Player of the Year.

”We cannot thank Jordy enough for all that he has given the Green Bay Packers and our community for the past 10 years,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. ”He has been an exemplary professional and teammate and greatly contributed to our success.”

Brees has agreed to a two-year, $50 million extension with New Orleans, with $27 million guaranteed the first year, two people familiar with the contract told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the agreement has not been announced.

Brees is 39 and wants to finish his career in New Orleans, where he has played since 2006, won a Super Bowl and led what has been one of the most productive offenses in the NFL since he and coach Sean Payton arrived.

”I’ll be here as long as they’ll have me Connor Williams Jersey Cowboys ,” Brees said after last season ended.

In 2017, Brees completed an NFL-record 72 percent of his passes for 4,334 yards and 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He ranked fourth in the NFL in yards passing and the Saints ranked second in the NFL in total offense.

Keenum, a backup when the season began, guided Minnesota to the NFC North title and then into the conference championship game. He’ll cash in with the Broncos.

The 30-year-old Keenum is considered the second-best QB available in free agency after Cousins. He went 11-3 with 3,547 yards passing, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His last-second throw to Stefon Diggs stunned the Saints 29-24 in the playoffs.

Denver chose to bypass incumbents Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch and go for Keenum, who can’t sign until Wednesday.

Six years ago, GM John Elway landed Peyton Manning, the biggest free-agent prize in NFL history, following his release by the Colts and a series of neck fusion surgeries. Manning guided the Broncos to two Super Bowls and won the 2015 NFL championship. Now, Elway hopes another free agent will replicate Manning.

Cousins will visit with the Vikings on Wednesday, agent Mike McCartney said. ESPN reported that Cousins will sign with the Vikings, but McCartney said no decision has been made yet by his client.

The Jets and Cardinals also made sense as fits for the 29-year-old who played consecutive seasons for Washington on franchise tags. New York, however, re-signed last year’s starter, veteran Josh McCown Mike McGlinchey Color Rush Jersey , and Arizona made a deal with Minnesota’s Sam Bradford.

In other moves:

– Super Bowl champion Philadelphia lost two tight ends, cutting veteran Brent Celek, then saw Trey Burton agree to a four-year, $32 million contract with Chicago. Five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and linebacker Corey Nelson have agreed to one-year contracts with the Eagles.

The Bears also will be signing Jacksonville receiver Allen Robinson on Wednesday and kicker Cody Parkey.

– Tennessee agreed with New England cornerback and one-time Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler on a five-year deal worth more than $60 million. Agent Derek Simpson told The Associated Press that Butler will sign the deal including $30 million guaranteed once free agency begins.

Butler spent the past four seasons with the New England Patriots and has eight career interceptions. He was benched for the Super Bowl in February.

– Buffalo bolstered its interior defensive line, agreeing to a deal with Carolina tackle Star Lotulelei and re-signing Kyle Williams, who contemplated retirement.

– Kansas City will add wide receiver Sammy Watkins and middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens, filling two glaring needs.

The 24-year-old Watkins intends to sign a $48 million, three-year contract with $30 million in guarantees, while the 25-year-old Hitchens agreed to a five-year deal, two people familiar with their decisions told the AP. The Chiefs have needed to pair a playmaking wideout with Tyreek Hill. Watkins, the 2014 fourth overall pick of the Bills, spent last season with the Rams, where he caught 39 passes for 593 yards and eight touchdowns.

– Receiver Albert Wilson is closing in on a $24 million, three-year deal with the Dolphins. Miami traded top receiver Jarvis Landry to Cleveland and has a need. They also are near an agreement with Patriots receiver Danny Amendola.

The Dolphins also cut linebacker Lawrence Timmons after just one season with them. Timmons went AWOL on the eve of last ye.