The NHL free agency period is one of the most intriguing times of the years because it provides a massive amount of changes to the league鈥檚 setup. Teams often are extremely aggressive during this time period because they aiming to find the perfect player or in some cases players to help their clubs finally win it all. Yet Jordan Staal Jersey , teams often make massive mistakes in their search for the right players because they often get into bidding wars with one another. These situations often result in the players underachieving and/or not living up to their new contracts. To be perfectly honest, it appears that this ends up happening more often than not and then we get the occasional buyout shortly after the deal is made.

With all that has been stated thus far, in this article Nick Foligno Jersey , we will be looking at fifteen overpriced NHL free agents that teams will end up regret signing this off-season.This year鈥檚 class in a pretty intriguing one because it is full of a lot of average to above average players, but not many elite ones. With that being said, it is likely that these players will cash in on a weaker market. This will especially be the case with wingers and defensemen. Every year Jimmy Vesey Jersey , the issue of overpaying top free agents continues to increase, so it is likely that we will end up viewing a lot of these examples this summer.

Nonetheless, let鈥檚 look at the fifteen overpriced NHL free agents that teams will regret signing!

The home of the Denver Broncos will be known as Broncos Stadium at Mile High while the team continues to look for a new naming-rights sponsor.

The team announced the temporary name change Wednesday following a vote by the district that oversees the taxpayer-built stadium.

The stadium has had two naming-rights sponsors since it opened in 2001 http://www.officialbluejackets.com/authentic-adidas-david-savard-jersey , most recently Sports Authority. Both names included a reference to the Broncos’ original stadium. The team took down large signs with Sports Authority’s name earlier this year after the company declared bankruptcy and stopped making payments.

In a statement, Broncos Chief Commercial Officer Mac Freeman said the team has had ”many productive conversations” and is confident it will find the right partner.

A deal would help pay for stadium maintenance.

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 http://www.officialusafootballs.com/dallas-cowboys 

— The Arizona Cardinals have one of the best wide receivers to play the game but Bob Lilly Jersey , beyond Larry Fitzgerald, the position is a major question mark for the team under first-year coach Steve Wilks.

The names of those competing for playing time and/or just a spot on the 53-man roster are hardly that familiar: Brice Butler, J.J. Nelson, Chad Williams, Greg Little, Christian Kirk and Trent Sherfield, among others.

Underrated is a good word to describe the group, the coach said.

“I think that’s exactly the point, just because (of) the perception that there’s not any big-time there that we don’t have good players,” Wilks said after the Cardinals sweated through an outdoor practice Friday.

The receivers on the roster, he said, are better than outsiders might think.

Fitzgerald had another banner season a year ago, finishing second in the league and tying a franchise record with 109 receptions for 1 Matt Slauson Jersey ,156 yards as he climbed to No. 3 on the NFL lists for career receptions and yards receiving. At 34, he was the oldest player in league history to catch at least 100 passes in a season.

But nobody else caught more than 33 for the 2017 Cardinals and no other wide receiver more than 31. Add the departure of the Browns — Jaron and John (no relation) — via free agency and there wasn’t a lot left at the position when Wilks and new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy took over.

Nelson and Williams are holdovers, Butler signed as a free agent, Little hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2015 and Kirk was Arizona’s second-round draft pick out of Texas A&M. Sherfield is an undrafted rookie from Vanderbilt who has shown promise early in camp.

Like his coach, Butler believes the group is far better than people realize.

“There’s not a lot of household names, you can say that,” he said, “but we’ve got big talent in the room.”

Butler caught 15 passes for a career-best 317 yards and three touchdowns for the Dallas Cowboys last season and sees the current situation as a big opportunity.

“I’ve just got to do what I’ve got to do, man,” he said. “It’s training camp. It’s about doing the grind day in and day out.”

Nelson might be the biggest big-play threat in the group. Exceedingly fast, his 509 yards receiving (on 29 catches) were second on the team a year ago.

“He can take the top off, as you guys have seen the last couple of days,” Wilks said.

But Nelson’s career has been plagued by inconsistency.

Williams has been working with the first team often as he enters his second year following a difficult rookie season.

The former third-round pick out of Grambling State also has big-time speed but played in only six games as a rookie http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/connor-williams-jersey , catching three passes for 31 yards.

“I feel like I’m way more advanced than I was last year, way smarter,” Williams said. “It’s an opportunity for me to really get it going.”

The dynamic Kirk figures prominently in the Cardinals’ plans, both as a receiver and kick returner.

“The one thing that I love about him is his motor,” Wilks said. “Of course he’s a good player. He’s smart and all that stuff. That’s the reason why we drafted him, but a lot of times you really don’t know what you get until they actually get here and they start going through their routine. This guy goes full speed on every play, every play.”

Little, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 220 pounds, “has done some great things” in a comeback attempt that Wilks said might be the player’s last chance after bouncing from team to team following a standout rookie season in 2011, when he caught 61 passes for 709 yards for Cincinnati.

“Once you separate Larry, everything else is wide open,” Wilks said. “Everybody’s fighting for that position. Those guys are really competing hard. … It’s going to be interesting to see how things shape out once preseason hits.”

The Latest from Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights (all times local):

9:40 p.m.

The Washington Capitals got three goals in the first period of Game 4 and are spending much of the second period making sure the lead stands up against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Striving to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final, the Capitals have killed a pair of power plays to maintain a three-goal cushion.

Vegas has a 20-13 advantage in shots on goal Josh Ferguson Jersey , but Washington has goals from T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson and Devante Smith-Pelly.

The Capitals have not trailed at any point since their Game 1 loss.

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9:30 p.m.

High schooler Jack Merritt threw a crab on the ice after Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final and hopes it becomes a Washington Capitals tradition.

The 15-year-old from Chevy Chase, Maryland, said before Game 4 that a crab is better than the ”stupid” plastic flamingo thrown onto the ice to celebrate Vegas Golden Knights wins. He knows all about the plastic rats in Florida, the octopi in Detroit and the catfish in Nashville. He wants crabs to be a thing at Capital One Arena after Washington victories.

Merritt bought a crab from a local restaurant before Game 3 and brought it into the arena with hope. He got down to the lower bowl from his upper-deck seats and managed to get the crab on the ice after the Capitals beat the Golden Knights 3-1 to take a 2-1 series lead.

Without tickets to Game 4, Merritt only hopes someone else follows his lead.

—

9:10 p.m.

Capitals fans had plenty to cheer about during the first period of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final after goals by T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson and Devante Smith-Pelly.

They also got to cheer during a TV timeout.

Two months after the Humboldt Broncos’ bus crash killed 16 in Canada, forward Kaleb Dahlgren from the Saskatchewan junior league was shown on video screens at Capital One Arena.

Dahlgren got a nice reaction from the crowd and then a roar when he lifted up his yellow Humboldt jersey to reveal a red Capitals jersey.

—

9 p.m.

The Washington Capitals have taken a 3-0 lead into the first intermission of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Washington is looking to take a 3-1 advantage in the best-of-7 series.

Tom Wilson and Devante Smith-Pelly both scored in the final four minutes of the period after T.J. Oshie put the Capitals on top with a power-play goal 9:56 into the game.

Wilson is known for hard checks and time spent in the penalty box, but on this occasion he beat Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury with a shot from the slot at 3:58. Not long after that, Smith-Pelly scored from a tough angle on the left side after a weird bounce.

Earlier, with the game scoreless and the Golden Knights on the power play, Vegas winger James Neal hit the post in front of an open net.

—

8:35 p.m.

T.J. Oshie has given Washington an early 1-0 lead over Vegas in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Evgeny Kuznetsov’s shot off Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury rebounded to Oshie in front of the net and he jammed it home on the power play 9:54 into the first period.

The Golden Knights look much quicker on offense than in Game 3, when they took only 22 shots. James Neal missed a golden opportunity to open the scoring Dexter Manley Jersey , hitting the right post when firing at an open net.

It is the third straight game the Capitals have scored first and they have won the last two for a 2-1 series lead.

—

8:20 p.m.

The puck has dropped, and Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final is under way in the nation’s capital with Vegas trying to even the series against Washington at 2-2.

The Golden Knights are starting Tomas Tatar in place of David Perron, who was scratched. Perron has not scored a goal in 14 playoff games.

The atmosphere was electric before the game. Max Scherzer and Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals baseball team were introduced as the ”Fans of the Game.” Nationals slugger Bryce Harper, who grew up in Las Vegas, was wearing a white Golden Knights Jersey.

The fans waved white glow sticks and waved towels before the national anthem.

Game 5 is Thursday in Las Vegas.

—

6:25 p.m.

Red-clad fans are filling the streets of Chinatown before Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights.

Fall Out Boy is playing the pregame concert at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, two days after Sting and Shaggy. The strains of ”My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” could be heard blocks away over the sound of scalpers looking for hard-to-find tickets.

According to Ticket IQ, the cheapest Game 4 tickets are up almost $400 from last week. The cheapest tickets available on Ticket IQ and StubHub are more than $1,000 each.

—

4:40 p.m.

The Vegas Golden Knights are making at least one lineup change for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final by plugging in offensive-minded winger Tomas Tatar.

Vegas has scored three goals against the Washington Capitals in the past two games and fallen behind 2-1 in a series for the first time in the playoffs. Coach Gerard Gallant says he hopes Tatar adds some offense and speed to a group that lacked both in a Game 3 loss Saturday.

Tatar has not played since Game 3 of the Western Conference final against Winnipeg. It looked as if Tatar would replace struggling winger David Perron in Game 4, though Gallant on Monday refused to confirm that scratch and alluded to at least one other possible move.

The Golden Knights traded a 2018  Womens Ian Thomas Jersey 

The New York Jets kicked off the NFL draft by getting their quarterback of the future – who might actually be the face of the franchise right now.

After taking Southern California quarterback Sam Darnold at No. 3 overall on Thursday night and Fort Hays State defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd in the third round Friday night Mitch Unrein Jersey , general manager Mike Maccagnan went to work on the draft’s final day to fill some sizable roster holes.

The Jets made three trades Saturday, including two swaps of draft picks with the Minnesota Vikings, and another with the Indianapolis Colts for defensive end Henry Anderson.

New York took Miami tight end Christopher Herndon in the fourth round at No. 107 overall. After all the wheeling and dealing, the Jets capped the draft with three sixth-rounders: Tulane cornerback Parry Nickerson, UConn defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi and Virginia State running back Trenton Cannon.

”We feel we have some good young players,” Maccagnan said. ”There are some guys we felt good (about) in our process. We like them both from an ability standpoint and we feel like we have some good character guys, too.”

But this draft will be remembered – and ultimately, judged – on what Darnold does.

No quarterback has ever been selected higher by the Jets in an NFL draft, and New York felt fortunate Darnold was still there when it went on the clock. After all, Darnold had long been considered a likely No. 1 overall pick by Cleveland http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/jordan-howard-jersey , which ended up taking Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield instead. When the Giants went with Penn State running back Saquon Barkley at No. 2, the Jets had their guy.

”Sam … man, oh, man … I did not think we would have a shot at you,” acting CEO Christopher Johnson said during his phone call with Darnold after the team drafted the quarterback. ”I’m so happy. Dude, you’re gonna love New York.”

And New Jersey too, of course. Heck, Jets fans everywhere couldn’t help but feel giddy about Darnold holding up his green-and-white jersey.

Darnold was formally introduced at the team’s facility Friday after spending Thursday night in Dallas at the draft site. On Saturday, the new Jets quarterback surprised some young fans by visiting a pediatric hospital in New Jersey and posing for photos and signing autographs.

While Josh McCown, last year’s starter Adam Vinatieri Jersey , is still here, it might not be long before Darnold – the cool and poised kid from California – takes center stage in the Big Apple.

”I’m very confident,” Darnold said. ”It’s more of a quiet confidence. I am who I am and however people want to define that, that’s not really up to me. I’m just going to be myself. The best way to describe it is confident, but also knowing what needs to get done and being very, very serious when it comes to that.”

CROWDED QB ROOM

Along with Darnold and McCown, the Jets also have Teddy Bridgewater, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg on the roster. That’s a few too many quarterbacks.

Bridgewater is still recovering from a career-threatening knee injury nearly two years ago. Meanwhile, Petty – a fourth-rounder in 2015 – and Hackenberg – a second-rounder in 2016 – would seem to have their spots in serious jeopardy.

”There’s always conversations had with teams,” Maccagnan said Andrew Luck Jersey , ”and we’ll see how that unfolds here in the next little bit of time.”

BIG BOYS UP FRONT

The Jets went into the draft needing some depth on the defensive line, and they got some with the picks of Shepherd and Fatukasi. Both will help replace the departed Muhammad Wilkerson, who was cut in the offseason and signed with Green Bay.

Anderson is also a nice addition, if he’s healthy. He was a third-round pick of the Colts in 2015, but has finished all three of his NFL seasons on injured reserve. The most recent injury was a fractured larynx that required surgery late last season.

The trade is contingent on Anderson passing his physical with the Jets. If he doesn’t, they would get back the seventh-round pick they sent to Indianapolis, but in next year’s draft.

TIGHT END COMPETITION

Maccagnan likes what he saw from Herndon at Miami, saying he might be a little bit more athletic and more of a pass catcher than some of the other five tight ends New York has on its roster.

That list includes Eric Tomlinson, Neal Sterling, Jordan Leggett http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/demarcus-ware-jersey , Bucky Hodges and Clive Walford. Maccagnan said Herndon, whose senior season was shortened by a knee injury, is about a month away from being 100 percent so he’ll be limited in offseason workouts.

SECONDARY HELP

Nickerson will serve as the backup to Buster Skrine as the Jets’ nickel corner and could be the veteran’s eventual replacement. Bowles said Nickerson will also get work on the outside, where the cornerback said he played almost exclusively at Tulane.

STILL NEED

Cannon fills a major need as a fast, athletic return specialist, something the Jets have lacked over the last two seasons. The Jets could look to add a few more speedy playmakers for the offense among undrafted free agents. Pass rusher has also been an issue for New York, and it could try to find a sack-happy UDFA to help fill that void.

—

The Minnesota Vikings will induct former head coach Dennis Green into their Ring of Honor this season.

The Vikings announced Monday they'll hold a halftime ceremony with Green's family during their Sept. 23 game against Buffalo. Green died at age 67 in 2016.

His record over 10 seasons was 101-70, including eight trips to the playoffs. Only Bud Grant has more wins in franchise history. The Vikings won four division titles and reached the NFC championship game twice under his guidance, setting what was then the NFL single-season scoring record with 556 points in 1998.

Green was also credited with initiating a culture of regular community service by players on their Tuesdays off from practice during the season.

He's the 24th member of the Vikings' Ring of Honor .

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Josh Dobbs is good with numbers.

Look no further than his aerospace engineering degree as proof.

Still Eddie Jackson Jersey , the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback isn't in the mood to do the math heading into his team's final preseason game on Thursday night against Carolina.

The Steelers have four quarterbacks under contract. The odds of there being four on the roster when they head to Cleveland to get things going for real on Sept. 9 are slim.

Very slim.

Ben Roethlisberger has the starting job until he doesn't want it anymore. Landry Jones is a capable backup. The Steelers used a third-round pick on Mason Rudolph in April. That leaves Dobbs 鈥?a fourth-round pick in 2017 鈥?as seemingly the one most likely to be elsewhere come September. He insists he's not worried about the future.

"I think that's something that you guys (the media) like to play with," Dobbs said. "But for me I just play football. I can't control a lot of things. I can control how I approach every day and how I practice and how I play."

And Dobbs has taken significant strides in his second camp. The game has slowed down and his decision-making has sped up. He's thrown for a team-high three touchdowns during the preseason while completing 68 percent of his passes.

"Last year (as a rookie) when you break the huddle, you're trying to figure out your eyes, figure out what you're trying to do, to make sure you say the play right in the huddle and then get to the line of scrimmage, read, react and play football," Dobbs said.

"Now you know how each play is trying to attack the defense Cameron Meredith Jersey , where you want to go with the ball and if they give you an obscure look you know how to get your team in good plays."

Dobbs has also become more patient in letting a play develop instead of just taking off at the first hint of trouble.

"Now when he's running, he's running at the right time," Jones said.

Coach Mike Tomlin didn't immediately rule out the Steelers holding onto all four quarterbacks past cut-down day on Saturday when rosters are pared from 90 to 53.

"You are certainly capable of it," Tomlin said. "If you look at what happens in the National Football League it has been done. In today's NFL, two are probably kept more times than four so it's probably less frequent than two at this juncture."

Cutting Dobbs outright and hoping to stash him on the practice squad seems unlikely. He's shown enough flashes that he would almost certainly be picked up on the waiver wire. The Steelers, who have depth concerns at offensive line and tight end, could also hold on to Dobbs then deal him before the opener.

Dobbs will do his best to drown out the noise and focus on putting what he can on tape that will serve as his resume to hold on to the job he has in Pittsburgh or to find one elsewhere.

"I think I've performed well," he said. "I know that ultimate decision isn't in my hands ... I'll (play) however long they want me. I'll take advantage of all the reps Adam Vinatieri Jersey , I tell you that."

While Dobbs and dozens of other players try to make one last impression in Pittsburgh, newly acquired wide receiver Ryan Switzer will try to make his first.

The Steelers acquired Switzer from Oakland on Monday. He arrived in Pittsburgh early Tuesday, practiced that afternoon and Thursday night will find himself returning kicks and possibly even getting in for an offensive snap or two.

"I know the return game is going to be something I can pick up quicker," Switzer said. "I'm going to try and dive into the offensive playbook and find my niche there."

The Steelers have no plans to have All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown to return punts but no heir apparent came to the fore during training camp. Enter Switzer, who averaged 8.8 yards per punt return while playing for Dallas as a rookie in 2017.

Switzer is well acquainted with Heinz Field. The Charleston, West Virginia, native managed to get on the field for a competition as a kid then starred for North Carolina in two trips to Pittsburgh to face the Panthers. He returned nine kicks (seven punts, two kickoffs) for touchdowns for the Tar Heels. After being traded twice in five months http://www.washingtonredskinsteamonline.com/adrian-peterson-jersey , he's ready for a chance to exhale and just go play.

"Hopefully I can get back to what I was doing in college and things that made me the player that I am," he said.

The Panthers sniffed around some veteran quarterback options this offseason, but never brought one in.

And for the moment, it appears they may be content with one of the options on hand.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera told reporters that Taylor Heinicke would start Thursday’s preseason finale, the latest sign that he has leapfrogged Garrett Gilbert for the clipboard role behind Cam Newton.

Heinicke lacks what you’d call NFL experience. He’s played one game, thrown one pass, completed it for 10 yards, giving him a sweet 108.3 passer rating.

But he’s been the more impressive of the options on hand http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/roquan-smith-jersey , showing an ability to extend plays with his feet during the preseason.

The Panthers let longtime caddy Derek Anderson walk in free agency (where he remains), since his “familiarity with the offense” card was obsolete with the firing of coordinator Mike Shula and the hiring of Norv Turner.

If something happened to Newton in the regular season, their faith may waver, but Heinicke (who spent time with Turner in Minnesota) seems to have taken the lead for that role now.

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Four of the five teams that gave up the fewest points during the regular season are the last four left with a shot at the Super Bowl Sherrick McManis Jersey , something that had never happened since the NFL-AFL merger nearly a half-century ago.

And three of the four toughest to gain yards against are still around, too.

Still think that all a team needs to succeed in the modern game is an elite QB? Go ahead and take a close look at Sunday’s matchups for the conference championship games.

Sure, Tom Brady (assuming his injured right hand is good to go) and the New England Patriots will be playing for the AFC title, just like they always do, but they’ll be going up against Blake Bortles and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Over in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles will send Nick Foles out to face the Minnesota Vikings and Case Keenum, hardly a marquee matchup between quarterbacks, and one set up by injuries to other signal-callers.

What this quartet of teams does have in common is solid defense, showing once again that while everyone is paying so much attention to one side of the ball, it’s the other that might truly matter the most. The more league rules and officiating tend to favor offenses, the more figuring out ways to slow that down is imperative.

”When you have a defense that can shut that type of firepower down,” said Brian Robison, a linebacker on the Vikings defense that ranked No. 1 in yards and points allowed, ”it allows you to win ballgames.”

Minnesota gave up 15.8 points per game. Jacksonville was No. 2 at 16.8, followed by No. 4 Philadelphia’s 18.4 and No. 5 New England’s 18.5.

”There’s teams that have really good defenses that aren’t talked about,” Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy said. ”We’re one of them.”

It’s the first time since the 1970 merger there has been that sort of defensive dominance among the NFL’s final four. The closest was at the end of the 2010 season Art Monk Jersey , when teams that ranked No. 1 (Steelers), No. 2 (Packers), No. 4 (Bears) and No. 6 (Jets) in points allowed reached the conference title games.

”The most heralded guys on the field are the quarterbacks. So I would say, nine times out of 10, your detail goes into your offensive planning and things like that,” said Jacksonville’s leading tackler, Telvin Smith, who returned a fumble 50 yards for a touchdown last weekend. ”Offense sells tickets, and defense wins championships. I’m happy I’m on the defensive side.”

He is part of a young, talented and speedy D that rose to prominence quickly via a combination of shrewd drafting (linebackers Smith and Myles Jack, defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue and Dante Fowler Jr., cornerback Jalen Ramsey) and free-agent signings that panned out (defensive lineman Calais Campbell, cornerback A.J. Bouye, safeties Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson).

Take a look at the regular-season rankings in various defensive categories, and you can’t miss the Jaguars. That helps explain how they made it this far with Bortles, whose 84.7 rating ranked 22nd among QBs with at least 100 pass attempts and whose 13 interceptions were exceeded by only six players.

Campbell tied for second in NFL with 14.5 sacks Adam Vinatieri Jersey , while Ngakoue added 12 and led the league by forcing six fumbles. Bouye tied for third with six interceptions, while Ramsey, Gipson and Church each had four. As a unit, the Jaguars were No. 2 in yards allowed at 286.1, trailing the No. 1 Vikings (275.9), with the Eagles (306.5) at No. 4. The Jaguars were also second in sacks and total takeaways, while they topped the NFL with seven defensive TDs.

Exceptional defense can carry a team far: In nine of the last 10 seasons, the No. 1 or No. 2 team in points allowed participated in a conference championship game. The exception was 2015, when the Seahawks led the league in that category but lost in the divisional round, and the Bengals ranked second but lost in the wild-card round.

”Now it’s down to, `May the best defense win,”’ Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham said. ”We each get to showcase what we can do.”

—

AP Sports Writers Dave Campbell in Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Kyle Hightower in Foxborough, Massachusetts; Mark Long in Jacksonville, Florida; and Rob Maaddi in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

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Julio Jones insists his status for training camp was never in doubt.

Jones, the five-time Pro Bowl receiver Anthony Castonzo Jersey , was back for the start of Falcons training camp Friday after missing a mandatory minicamp in June while asking that his contract be reworked.

Jones dismissed reports he wouldn’t report without a new deal as ”he said, she said” speculation.

”We knew all along we were going to get it handled,” he said.

For coach Dan Quinn, the most important fact was seeing No. 11 catching passes from Matt Ryan.

”It was awesome to have him back,” said Quinn, adding Jones’ routes were ”really sharp and clean.”

Jones drew cheers from fans when he caught a pass on the sideline in front of cornerback Desmond Trufant late in the practice.

General manager Thomas Dimitroff said Thursday the team made an ”adjustment” to Jones’ five-year, $71.5 million contract. Jones is entering the third year of the deal.

Dimitroff said the tweak to Jones’ deal wouldn’t affect the team’s hopes to negotiate contract extensions for left tackle Jake Matthews, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, and safety Ricardo Allen. On Friday, the team agreed to a five-year, $75 million extension for Matthews.

The biggest new deal of all came earlier in the offseason – a five-year, $150 million extension for Ryan, the most lucrative contract in NFL history.

Ryan’s contract, and the team’s talks with Matthews, Jarrett and Allen, were among the reasons Dimitroff said the Falcons couldn’t renegotiate Jones’ contract until after the season.

Jones confirmed he told Quinn this month he would report to training camp.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said at the NFL owners meeting in May he expected Jones to play his entire career with Atlanta.

”Our relationship has always been excellent so I had the confident in Thomas and the confidence in J.J. being a great Falcon for us not only on the field but off the field and a leader in the locker room Tyrone Crawford Jersey ,” Blank said Friday.

Jones said he and Blank ”reiterated what he had told us – that I’m going to be a Falcon forever.”

Asked if it was difficult to be away from the team for the mandatory minicamp and other offseason work, Jones said he told Quinn ”It was just me getting healthy as far as some stuff with me, getting back right and feeling 100 percent.”

A healthy Jones is especially important to the Falcons’ hopes of returning to their offensive form of their 2016 Super Bowl season, when they led the league in scoring.

One year ago, Jones was recovering from minor offseason surgery on his left foot and was limited in the first training camp with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkasian.

Jones didn’t miss a game last season despite having two ankle injuries – plus back, ribs, thumb and knee injuries.

Jones, who also participated in an informal passing camp led by Ryan in California this month, has no injury concerns.

”For me and for the team it’s better than I’m healthy and can do everything,” he said.

Quinn said wide receiver Russell Gage used advice from Jones to fine-tune a route at the California camp.

”Those were the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet that often speak to who he is as a teammate,” said Quinn of Jones.

It’s not unusual for Jones to be included on Atlanta’s game-week injury reports, but he has missed only three games the last four seasons. He has broken his right foot twice, at the NFL combine in 2011 and in 2013 when he missed 11 games.

Jones has remained one of the NFL’s most productive receivers. He had 88 catches for 1,444 yards and three touchdowns in 2017. Jones and Marvin Harrison are the only players in NFL history to have at least 80 catches for at least 1,400 yards in four straight seasons

—

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With a Republican and a Democrat working together in Congress to provide oversight to sports betting Dalton Schultz Jersey , the leading professional and collegiate sports league have joined forces as well.

“Protecting the integrity of our sports is of paramount importance to the NFL and NCAA,” the NFL and NCAA said in a joint statement. “We applaud the leadership demonstrated by Senators [Orrin] Hatch and [Chuck] Schumer in support and federal legislation to protect the integrity of our games following the Supreme Court decision. Core federal standards are critical to safeguarding the sports we love, the millions of athletes across the country who play these games at all levels and our fans.”

This represents a fallback position for the NFL and NCAA Maliek Collins Jersey , which fought tooth and nail to keep sports wagering illegal. Now that the cat is out of the bag, they hope to find a way to keep it under control. Lobbying aggressively for federal legislation makes much more sense in this regard than working on the issue one state at a time.

As Raiders fans wake up to the news that defensive end Khalil Mack will be traded to the Bears, they’re not going to be happy. As Raiders players wake up to the聽news that defensive end Khalil Mack will be traded to the Bears Cody Parkey Jersey , they’re not happy, either.

“No f–king way,” linebacker Bruce Irvin said on Twitter.

And in those three words lies the challenge the Raiders will now face in selling the decision to send the team’s best player elsewhere http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/jaire-alexander-jersey , simply because the Raiders wouldn’t or couldn’t give Mack the long-term deal he has earned.

Make no mistake about it. Coach Jon Gruden will have his work cut out for him as the team’s first regular season game approaches. And he ultimately may have to trade or release some of the guys who will never be able to accept that the team’s brightest star had to go elsewhere to get paid.

Isn’t that the message that’s being sent to the rest of them? No matter what you do while wearing silver and black, your financial reward may have to wait until you are wearing different colors.

Plenty of those players may be instantly craving the opportunity to wear different colors.

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The Minnesota Vikings found a new offensive coordinator this winter Charles Clay Jersey , and they made one of the biggest splashes of the NFL offseason this week by giving quarterback Kirk Cousins a fully guaranteed $84 million contract.

There was one more pressing need: a new defensive tackle to play next to two-time Pro Bowl pick Linval Joseph.

Sheldon Richardson checked the last of those big boxes.

Richardson, the 13th pick in the 2013 draft out of Missouri by the New York Jets who was traded last year to the Seattle Seahawks, signed a one-year contract on Friday after visiting the team's new training facility and deciding the Vikings gave him the best opportunity to chase a championship.

"They're trying to win. Period. Point blank," Richardson said at an introductory news conference, held in the same room roughly 24 hours after Cousins', though with considerably less fanfare and fewer reporters.

He's still filling an important role, given head coach Mike Zimmer's desire for a stronger threat at that spot to both rush the passer and stand up to the run.

"Those guys can affect the quarterback as much as any position, along with our defensive ends, so it obviously takes some double-teams off our guys so they can continue to pressure the quarterback," Zimmer said.

The deal includes an $8 million base salary and as much as $3 million available in incentives, NFL Media reported. A few hours after Richardson's contract was finalized, the Vikings released wide receiver Jarius Wright to make more room under the salary cap.

Richardson played up to his first-round status by winning The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Then he recorded a career-high eight sacks and was picked for the Pro Bowl in 2014. He had some trouble off the field, though Eddie Goldman Jersey , serving a four-game suspension in 2015 for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. He also was suspended for the 2016 season opener for an arrest in his home state of Missouri for driving at high speeds and resisting arrest.

The Vikings, were satisfied with their extensive vetting of his background and character, general manager Rick Spielman said.

"Then after spending two days with him we felt very confident that him coming into this culture, this locker room, that he'll fit right in," Spielman said.

Richardson had only one sack last year for the Seahawks, his first season in a primarily 4-3 scheme after playing in a 3-4 system with the Jets. Zimmer's philosophy doesn't emphasize or maximize individual statistics, focusing more on overall disruption and pressure, so the sack dropoff was not a concern to the Vikings. They saw the high motor he displays and the havoc he can cause on the line during their video review of his performances with the Jets and Seahawks.

"You could see how powerful he is, but you could also see the athletic ability and the speed going from sideline to sideline," Spielman said. "I'm excited to see who's going to get to the ball next year with the athletes we have up front."

The lack of sacks was enough of a concern to Richardson that he apologized during his opening remarks to his agent, Ben Dogra, for making his job of selling him more difficult.

"I got back there a lot http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/mark-sanchez-jersey , disrupted as coach Zimmer said. Honestly, just not finishing for me, in my book, to my standards," Richardson said. "I'm very effective around the quarterback. I just don't have the advantage of the numbers that people want to see."

With Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter at defensive end backed up by Brian Robison and Joseph entrenched at the nose tackle spot, the insertion of Richardson at the under tackle, or 3-techinque, position should indeed improve a defense that led the NFL in several key categories last season.

Tom Johnson took over the position last year, but he became a free agent. Spielman said Richardson's arrival means Johnson won't return. Shamar Stephen, who has played both tackle spots, also became a free agent and will likely not be back. The position is open because of the knee injury to 2013 first-round draft pick Sharrif Floyd, whose promising career was likely ended by nerve damage. His contract expired this week.

The spot could be vacant again in a year, given the short-term deal that Richardson preferred http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/kavon-frazier-jersey , but the Vikings are clearly in win-now mode as evidenced by their commitment to Cousins. Richardson had lunch with his fellow new acquisitionon Thursday.

"Humble guy, laid back," Richardson said. "Cool, calm and collected like you want your quarterback."

The Vikings are banking on the opposite from quarterbacks they're facing this year, with Zimmer and defensive line coach Andre Patterson confident they'll be able to maximize Richardson's ability.

"If you put yourself in the right situation with the right team and the right coaches," Spielman said, "there's no reason why he shouldn't be in the Pro Bowl year in and year out."

After three games, the Toronto Raptors have yet to find the answer.

They came close against the Cavaliers in Games 1 and 3 of this Eastern Conference semifinal. If they don’t figure things out in Game 4 on Monday night, they will have all summer to ponder the problem.

”All three games have presented different plays that would have to be done at certain points of the game to get over the hump,” swingman C.J. Miles said before the shootaround. ”We see them. It’s not’s like there’s no door to get out of the room.”

But this is no easy escape. No NBA team has rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.

”The cause of lack of sleep at night when you can replay the game and see so many turning points,” Miles said. ”It’s easy in hindsight to say that play changes everything. You never know. But you always think about the fact that you want to give yourself the best shot every single night and there’s some plays that didn’t always give us the best shot.”

Toronto is coming off a 105-103 loss Saturday, a crushing defeat courtesy of LeBron James‘ bank shot at the buzzer. Guard Fred VanVleet says the Raptors have no choice but to ”keep scratching and clawing.”

”We’ve been in all three games, we’ve had chances to win pretty much all three games Eddie Jackson Jersey , being up in some of the games,” he said. ”We’re right there, we’re competing. We’ve just got to do a little bit more, make a couple more plays and I think we’ll be in good shape.”

This could be the third straight season the Cavs eliminate the Raptors. Going into Monday’s games, Cleveland had won nine straight playoff games against Toronto.

Cleveland is 9-0 when up 3-0 in a series. Toronto is 0-2 when behind 0-3 (swept in 2015 by Washington and 2017 by Cleveland).

The Cavs can reach the conference final for the fourth straight season and eighth time in franchise history.

”I think we have a group of guys that are warriors,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. ”And I know they’re going to bounce back. As far as the fight, I love what we did the other night.”

The shot by James, an off-balance 10-foot, has been replayed endlessly on TV. There is also the endless discussion of how Cleveland owns Toronto in the playoffs.

”I’ve seen the play (on TV) obviously,” VanVleet said. ”But I’m not watching ”SportsCenter” all night for those type of reasons right there.”

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The long-running dispute between the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles over television rights fees likely will be reheard by a committee of baseball executives this fall.

A New York State Supreme Court justice in 2015 threw out a 2012 arbitration decision that said the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network owes the Nationals $298 million for the team’s 2012-16 television rights. Last summer Cody Whitehair Jersey , the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division voted 3-2 to send the decision back to baseball’s Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee.

The RSDC currently includes Milwaukee Brewers chairman Mark Attanasio, Seattle Mariners President Kevin Mather and Toronto Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro. The original decision was made by Pittsburgh Pirates President Frank Coonelly, Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg and New York Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon.

”At the end of the litigation that took place in the New York courts, the most important thing that was determined was that the original agreement of the parties must be upheld and the most important aspect of that is that the Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee is the body that the parties agreed would settle this dispute,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said.

Baseball officials said the RSDC is likely to hear the dispute this fall.

Manfred spoke Tuesday before the All-Star Game at Nationals Park. The Orioles last hosted the All-Stars in 1993, the year after Camden Yards opened.

”Whether or not there’s an All-Star Game in Baltimore depends on whether Baltimore gets organized and submits a bid that would be compelling for an All-Star Game Xavier Woods Jersey , just like any other team,”’ Manfred said.

MASN was established in March 2005 after the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington and became the Nationals, moving into what had been Baltimore’s exclusive broadcast territory since 1972. The Orioles were given a supermajority partnership interest in MASN, starting at 90 percent, and Washington made a $75 million payment to the network for an initial 10 percent stake.

The agreement called for the Nationals’ equity to increase 1 percent annually, starting after the 2009 season Zach Miller Jersey , with a cap of 33 percent. The network’s rights payments to each team were set at $20 million apiece in 2005 and 2006, rising to $25 million in 2007, with $1 million annual increases through 2011.

—

The new rule book has emerged, and I’ve drawn the short straw for reviewing the long document in search of changes worth mentioning here. Fortunately, the revisions appear in red.

Here’s the first one I saw. It means nothing, making it perfect for slow time discussion.

The definition of the term fumble has been revised to Russ Grimm Jersey , apparently, prevent players from padding fumble recovery stats arising from their own fumbles: “It is not a fumble if the player immediately regains control of the ball.”

The meaning of “immediately” will be in the eye of the beholder or, more accurately, in the judgment of the person responsible for recording statistics. Since the rule applies only to the player who had the ball in the first place, it has no relevance to rules limiting who can advance a fumble. As a practical matter, it will potentially reduce Pierre Desir Jersey , but not increase, the number of total fumbles charged to a player.

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The Eagles report to camp today Dan Skuta Jersey , which means we can resume the daily monitoring of their quarterback situation.

But it might be a bit before Carson Wentz is ready to resume his full-time role ahead of Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the most likely scenario is that the Eagles will place Wentz on the active/physically unable to perform list, as he comes back from last December’s knee injury.

Players can be activated from that list at any time, so it’s a bit of a formality, and not an indication of a larger problem. There’s also a chance the Eagles will leave him off the list and let him practice on a limited basis.

The underlying reality is that Wentz isn’t ready at the moment to practice fully, which is why it was so important for the Eagles to hang onto Foles this offseason.

They’re still optimistic about his long-term condition, and since they have a proven backup, there’s no reason to rush him now.

Alex Ovechkin Bart Starr Jersey , Braden Holtby and the Washington Capitals stayed cool in the 100-degree Vegas heat and evened the Stanley Cup Final.

Holtby made 37 saves, Ovechkin scored a power-play goal and Lars Eller added a goal and two assists in the Capitals’ 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2.

The Caps hung on through a scoreless third period for their first Stanley Cup Final victory in franchise history largely because of a bounce-back performance by Holtby, who was battered in Vegas’ 6-4 series-opening win. Holtby capped his energetic performance with a jaw-dropping stick save with 1:59 to play, stretching back to rob Alex Tuch of a possible tying goal.

Brooks Orpik ended a personal 220-game drought with the eventual winning goal for the Caps, who rebounded from a ramshackle loss in the opener and handed the expansion Golden Knights only their second home defeat – the first in regulation – in Vegas’ nine postseason games.

James Neal and Shea Theodore scored and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 23 shots for the upstart Knights.

BASEBALL

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Nathan Eovaldi pitched six innings of no-hit ball in his return to the majors following a second Tommy John surgery, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Eovaldi (1-0) faced one over the minimum through six innings in his Tampa Bay debut. He threw 70 pitches and had four strikeouts. The only runner to reach base against him was Matt Chapman, who drew a one-out walk in the first.

Wilmer Font Harrison Phillips Jersey , acquired by the Rays from the A’s last Friday, gave up Jed Lowrie’s one-out single in the seventh for Oakland’s only hit of the game. Vidal Nuno got the last three outs to finish the one-hitter.

Rob Refsnyder hit a three-run home run off A’s starter Sean Manaea (5-6), and Johnny Field also homered for the Rays.

The game drew an announced crowd of 6,295, the smallest at the Coliseum since April 3, 2003.

Eovaldi last pitched in the majors on Aug. 10, 2016, for the Yankees.

NFL

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Lawyers for the NFL urged a federal judge to appoint a special investigator to look into what the league said is extensive fraud in claims on the $1 billion concussion settlement.

NFL attorneys said a study by the independent auditors in the claims process showed about 440 claims were flagged for denial based on evidence of fraud by attorneys Danny Trevathan Jersey , doctors or former players. Lawyers representing the former players and their estates said most of the opportunity for fraud has been resolved because anyone filing a claim after the settlement’s effective date has to see a neuro-specialist from a list of approved certified physicians.

The settlement, which took effect January 2017, resolved thousands of lawsuits that accused the NFL of hiding what it knew about the risks of repeated concussions.

It covers retired players who develop Lou Gehrig’s disease, dementia or other neurological problems believed to be caused by concussions suffered during their pro careers, with awards as high as $5 million for the most serious cases.

CLEVELAND (AP) – Browns safety Damarious Randall underestimated two things: the power of social media and passion of Cleveland fans.

Randall said he never imagined that an innocent Twitter posting about the NBA Finals would blow up into a national story – and maybe something he lives to regret.

A big fan of Golden State star guard Stephen Curry, Randall posted a tweet on Monday night promising that if the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Warriors in the ”2018 NBA finals, I’ll buy everyone who retweet’s this a jersey.”

By Wednesday afternoon, Randall’s tweet had been retweeted 869 DeShone Kizer Jersey ,000 times.

Randall, who came to the Browns in a March trade from Green Bay, said he couldn’t track the number of re-tweets because his phone locked up when he tried to access his Twitter account.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – The San Francisco 49ers are easing linebacker Reuben Foster back into the system after he missed the start of the offseason program while dealing with a domestic violence case that was eventually dropped.

Foster was not allowed to participate in the offseason program until a judge ruled last week that he wouldn’t have to stand trial on domestic violence charges. The judge determined there was no evidence that Foster ever hit his ex-girlfriend.

Foster rejoined the Niners last Thursday but has been held out of team drills as he gets back into form after missing more than five weeks of the offseason program while waiting for his case to be resolved.

He took part in individual drills during organized team activities but spent the time during team drills doing conditioning or watching teammates.

PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers are ditching their ”bumble bee” throwback uniforms for something with a more 1970s feel.

The team announced it will wear replica jerseys of the 1978 and 1979 clubs that won back-to-back Super Bowls when the Steelers host the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 28. Team president Art Rooney II said the choice of using the `78-79 jersey was fitting. The franchise will spend the next two seasons honoring the 40th anniversary of the teams that pushed Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl total during the 1970s to four.

The move means the Steelers are ending the use of their 1933 throwbacks that featured black-and-gold horizontal stripes that made the team resemble a pack of bees.

NBA

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Philadelphia 76ers said they are investigating whether team president Bryan Colangelo used a variety of Twitter accounts to anonymously trash some of his own pla Womens Russell Bodine Jersey 

Super Bowl 52 will be played comfortably under the translucent U.S. Bank Stadium roof on a dry artificial turf Pat McAfee Jersey , leaving the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles without worries of traction trouble or kick-altering winds.

That doesn’t mean the workers in charge of preparing a surface that’s championship-sufficient were free from challenges.

The host Minnesota Vikings came close to reaching the big game, for one.

When they beat the New Orleans Saints with that last-play touchdown pass in the divisional round on Jan. 14, the NFL would have normally already been in takeover mode of the stadium by then. The victory by the Philadelphia Eagles over the Atlanta Falcons that weekend was a big help for the league’s exhaustive operations; it sent the Vikings on the road to face the Eagles for the NFC title rather than hosting another postseason game at their not-yet-2-year-old home.

”That would’ve really pushed us back and crunched the time,” said Ed Mangan, the NFL’s field director. ”We’ve had a few other teams in the past that got close, so you always start out with a `what if.’ You have a Plan A, a Plan B and a Plan C, and you have a backup plan for each one of those. So you’re always prepared for it.”

Then there’s the winter weather, which has its own share of the spotlight this week next to the Patriots and Eagles. Just because the game itself will be played in climate-controlled conditions doesn’t mean the crews are always comfortable, with some outdoor work to be done in the single-digit temperatures. The downtown setting, with a major hospital, several churches and plenty of apartment buildings within a few blocks of the front doors Eddie Yarbrough Jersey , added some urban-specific security hurdles.

Commuting to the site last week, too, could have been made trickier by a storm that dumped more than a foot of snow on the region. But the City of Minneapolis and Minnesota Department of Transportation snowplows produced a championship-caliber performance.

”We’ve never been held up getting anywhere,” said Mangan, whose team is also responsible for the practice facilities at suburban Vikings headquarters in Eden Prairie (for the Patriots) and at the University of Minnesota a short ride from downtown (for the Eagles).

So are all the preparations finally caught up?

The answer is yes, according to Eric Finkelstein, the NFL’s senior director of events.

”We’ve been talking to the team and were for multiple months, and we were able to delay the things that we knew we could afford to delay and get a jump on the stuff that we knew we had to get done, even during the playoff game run,” Finkelstein said.

Vikings fans are still decompressing from the loss to the Eagles that dashed their dream of an unprecedented Super Bowl on home turf. So having the home stadium as the backdrop for the big game could be a painful sight either on television or in person. The good news for them and their healing process is that almost all of the team’s logos will be invisible, covered by NFL and Super Bowl signage. The six-panel purple end zones have been pulled off, replaced with Patriots and Eagles paint.

”We want this to look like the Super Bowl and know that you’re here Dexter Manley Jersey ,” Finkelstein said.

The field itself remains the domain of the indefatigable George Toma, the NFL’s grounds crew master who is working his 52nd Super Bowl. Yes, that’s all of them. He’ll turn 89 on Friday, and his pride in the job is just as high as it was five decades ago.

”The cheapest insurance for an athlete from preschool all the way up to professional is a good, safe playing field,” Toma said, ”and that’s what we try to do. For the people in the stands and the people on TV, we try to give them a field of beauty and then some.”

There’s less pressure, per se, this week than four years ago in New Jersey during the NFL’s first outdoor Super Bowl in a northern site. There’s still plenty to do.

More than 1,000 performers have been on the field at a time rehearsing for the halftime show. So Toma and his crew use a magnetic rake of sorts to comb the field for any stray nuts, bolts or random wardrobe pieces that might have popped off. They use a stamping tool to gauge the stiffness of the turf every 8 feet or so Pernell McPhee Jersey , to make sure there are no dangerous soft spots. The sand-rubber mixture that serves as the artificial sod underneath the fake grass is supposed to be 1+ inches thick.

Having worked two years for the Vikings at their practice facility and served as the spring training groundskeeper for the Minnesota Twins at their baseball facility in Fort Myers, Florida, Toma has a special affinity for this Super Bowl being held in Minnesota.

”I’ve been through a lot of stadiums worldwide, but in my book I love this stadium,” Toma said. ”This is the best stadium I’ve been in. Why? Everything’s right here for you. We come out that tunnel, and we’re only 100 feet to the playing field for our equipment and for our paint and everything. Not only that, but the people who run this stadium are outstanding, and then some.”

—

The Bears have a shiny new toy on defense now, so it takes some of the shine off Roquan Smith.

But their first-round pick is also on track to play some role in Sunday’s opener against the Packers, after missing most of training camp and the preseason following his protracted contract negotiation and a hamstring strain.

鈥淭here hasn鈥檛 been a setback,鈥?Bears coach Matt Nagy said of Smith, via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been going well. Again Tony Dorsett Jersey , let鈥檚 keep being cautiously optimistic with him. But we like where he鈥檚 at.”

Nagy acknowledged that Smith might not be ready for an every down role, after getting such a limited amount of work in the preseason.

“Who knows? It could be the entire game. It could be 10 plays. I don鈥檛 have that answer,鈥?Nagy said.

After showing up for camp 29 days late, Smiuth got six practices in before his left hamstring strain. He hasn’t practiced fully since. It would probably get more attention, except the Bears acquired some guy named Khalil Mack, who is definitely expected to have a role, even though he hasn’t participated in the preseason either.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars will open free agency by adding two offensive pieces and re-signing another.

The Jaguars are poised to sign All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell and speedy receiver Donte Moncrief in free agency Thursday http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/clay-matthews-jersey , according to two people familiar with negotiations. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Tuesday because NFL teams are prohibited from announcing signings until free agency officially begins Wednesday afternoon.

Norwell is expected to sign a five-year, $66.5 million contract that includes $30 million guaranteed, one of the people said. That would make him one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the league.

Another person with knowledge of contract talks with receiver Marqise Lee says the team has agreed to terms with Lee on a four-year deal worth $38 million. It includes $18 million guaranteed.

Lee and Moncrief will be counted on to try to fill the void left by losing former Pro Bowl receiver Allen Robinson, who is headed to Chicago. Lee led the Jaguars in receiving in 2017, catching 56 balls for 702 yards and three touchdowns. Moncrief had 26 receptions for 391 yards and two scores with Indianapolis.

Moncrief has the speed to loosen up eight- and nine-man defensive fronts.

The Jaguars made the ground game a priority when coach Doug Marrone and top executive Tom Coughlin took over in January 2017. They selected bruising running back Leonard Fournette and left tackle Cam Robinson in the first two rounds of the NFL draft last year and dedicated the offseason to becoming a more physical team up front. They also made Brandon Linder one of the NFL's highest-paid centers.

Norwell is expected to slide into Jacksonville's offensive line at left guard, between Robinson and Linder. The Jaguars have used five different starters at the position the last two seasons.

Although Jacksonville led the NFL in rushing in 2017, the running game stalled late in the season and barely was a factor in the playoffs. The Jaguars averaged 141.4 yards a game last season, but they topped 100 yards just twice in the final six games.

Norwell should help make Jacksonville's line, especially the left side, one of the best in the AFC.

He was the No. 1 offensive lineman available in free agency, a first-team All-Pro selection who didn't allow a sack or a quarterback hit in 2017 Brett Favre Jersey , according to Pro Football Focus. He started 45 of 48 games over the past three seasons and helped the Panthers finished fourth, 10th, and second, respectively, in rushing.

Moncrief and Lee have shown big-play ability despite a slew of injuries.

But neither looks like the go-to guy Robinson was expected to be. The Jags likely will end up relying on those two along with promising youngsters Dede Westbrook, Keelan Cole and Rashad Greene in 2018.

Matt Ryan once again worked without his favorite target Wednesday on the second day of the Atlanta Falcons' "mandatory" mini-camp, yet the quarterback said he's not worried about wide receiver Julio Jones being absent and plans to work out with him soon.

Jones appears to be seeking a contract adjustment to bump his pay grade up into the neighborhood of the NFL's top receivers. Multiple wideouts have received new contracts, leaving him ranked No. 7 at the position with a salary cap charge this season of $12.9 million.

Ryan wasn't in the mood to talk shop after practice.

"I understand that there's a business side to this sport, too, and I don't like to get involved in other people's business and I don't like speaking about my business," he said. "It's not my place to get into . . .

"He's such a incredible player Ryan Grant Jersey , such a talented player, and he's been working hard. He's in great shape, so I think he'll pick those new things up really quickly."

The question is when?

After logging 88 receptions last season for 1,444 yards and three touchdowns, Jones, 29, was tabbed for his fifth Pro Bowl in seven seasons, including four consecutive.

He has three years left, however, on the five-year, $71.256 million extension he signed in 2015 Derrius Guice Jersey , and NFL teams rarely amend contracts with so much time left.

Ryan, by contrast, recently signed a five-year, $150 million extension ahead of what would have been the final season of his previous deal.

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn have said that the team has been in contact with Jones and his agent, Jimmy Sexton.

Appeasing Jones would be tricky for reasons that go beyond giving him more money. Team officials have to be mindful of allocations.

The Falcons are about $9 million under the NFL's projected $177 million salary cap with more than $107 million of that committed to offensive players, according to Sportrac.

That 64 percent is the third-highest offensive ratio in the league. Eight of the team's 10 highest cap charges are offensive, including wide receiver Mohamed Sanu ($7.525 million).

A little more than $61 million is committed to defensive players. That 36.4 percent ranks 31st in the 32-team NFL, and the team has several talented, young defenders whose contracts are coming up.

The contracts of starting defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, safety Ricardo Allen and nickel back Bryan Poole run only through this season, and so do those of left tackle Jake Matthews http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/sean-lee-jersey , guard Andy Levitre and running back Tevin Coleman.

Linebackers Deion Jones and De'Vondre Campbell and edge rusher Vic Beasley are up next season.

Ryan's cap hit of $17.7 million this season will rise to $22.8 million next season and $31.8 million in 2020, when Jones' current contract calls for cap charges of $14.9 million and $11.426 million.

Together, the two make up more than 16 percent of the Falcons' cap charges now, and to give Julio more money might lower his charge in 2018, but the numbers would likely rise in the future.

Ryan's looking forward to working with Jones between the Falcons' minicamp, which ends Thursday, and the start of training camp in late July.

"We'll have a group of guys, probably about 12 of us, that are going to get together and he'll certainly be a part of that ... " Ryan said. "As far as drama or anything, (Jones) is one of the best teammates you could ever be around."

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RENTON Stephen Hauschka Jersey , Wash. (AP) — There were so few competitions for starting roles when the Seattle Seahawks arrived for training camp that the daily assessment of where things stood with the kicker and punter became a major topic.

The competition ended as expected with veteran Sebastian Janikowski appearing to be a lock as Seattle’s kicker beating out Jason Myers and rookie Michael Dickson as the punter with Jon Ryan’s tenure coming to an end.

So much for any drama. And for Ryan it meant the end for the longest-tenured Seahawks player.

“First, let me say this: Jon Ryan has been a great Seahawk,” Carroll said. “We loved the time we spent together. He’s been here since the beginning, and I know everybody would understand that it’s a very difficult decision when you have to make one like this after all this time together. He was doing great.

“Michael was just kicking out of this world and was doing the things that we had hoped he could do. … It was the right time to help Jon get moving too. So he’s been a great player, been a great competitor, been a great team guy, community guy. We love him.”

Dickson was expected to land the punter job from the moment he was selected in the fifth round by Seattle. The Seahawks didn’t invest a draft pick like that without wanting Dickson to win the job. Ryan was kept around in case Dickson struggled or there was an injury, but Seattle was able to save money by letting go of the veteran and going with the rookie from Texas.

“There’s just a lot of things we’re excited about with him and we’re excited to get it going Derrick Thomas Jersey ,” Carroll said. “It’s good for him to feel the confidence in the program and that we’re behind him.”

Dickson has been impressive in the first two preseason games, averaging 51.7 yards per kick, with better hang time and directional control than what Ryan showed. Still, while Dickson was excited to win the job, finding out he had arrived with some bittersweet feelings about Ryan’s departure.

“It was something that I was battling for every day, and I wanted to win the spot more than anything,” Dickson said. “But it was surprisingly more bittersweet than anything, just because Jon was such a great mentor to me when he was here. He was probably one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. So Patrick DiMarco Jersey , yeah, it was a little bittersweet. But I’m super excited.”

Carroll said the decision to release Ryan with two weeks remaining in training camp was also to give him plenty of time to find a new opportunity. It didn’t take long. Ryan signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday.

Janikowski said he’s fully recovered from the back injury that caused him to miss the entire 2017 season. It’s the first time in his career Janikowski has kicked anywhere but Oakland, where he played for 17 seasons and made more than 80 percent of his field goal attempts. He said there was some conversation with the Chargers, but he decided Seattle was the better opportunity.

“It’s a good change,” Janikowski said. “It’s like a start over again, but I feel great.”

Making the decision about the punter and kicker at this point also allows Seattle two weeks of having the duo work together in the kicking game. As simple as holding sounds, Dickson has limited experience in the job, only starting to do it his final year at Texas. After holding for Myers in the first preseason game Justin Vogel Jersey , Dickson held for Janikowski last weekend against the Chargers.

“It’s all about timing,” Janikowski said. “I mean, (Tyler Ott) is a great snapper, (Dickson’s a good) holder, it’s all about timing you just have to figure it out with time. And I think we got it down.”

NOTES: Seattle practiced indoors on Tuesday because of the unhealthy air quality in the Seattle area because of smoke from wildfires. … Carroll said WR Doug Baldwin remains on track to be ready for Week 1 at Denver. Baldwin has missed most of training camp with a knee injury, but has resumed running. “He’s really excited about coming back, he’s running. He’ll want to play next week, we’ll just get him back out here (at practice) and we’ll make that determination next week. But he’s going to be there for the opener Byron Maxwell Jersey ,” Carroll said. … RB Rashaad Penny was also doing running on the side on Tuesday after having surgery on a broken finger suffered last week in practice. Penny is also expected to be ready for Week 1.

Blue Jays fans gave New York Mets slugger Jose Bautista a standing ovation before his first at bat as a visiting player since leaving Toronto at the end of last season.

The two-time home run champion took off his helmet and acknowledged both the crowd and the Blue Jays dugout as fans rose for a prolonged ovation. Bautista drew a five-pitch walk and scored when Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a home run.

Before the game, Bautista drew another ovation at the end of a video tribute featuring highlights of his 10 seasons with the Blue Jays, including back-to-back ALCS appearances in 2015 and 2016.

The six-time All-Star exchanged warm embraces with several former Blue Jays teammates during batting practice and signed autographs for fans alongside New York’s first base dugout. Fans in right field rose to applaud Bautista as he took his position in the bottom of the first.

Bautista played 12 games for Atlanta in May and joined the Mets on May 22. He’s batting .250 with three homers and 13 RBIs in 36 games with New York.

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In the latest round in a recurring fight Frank Gore Jersey , a Cincinnati-area high school whose teams have been called the Redskins for over 80 years will keep that mascot.

A committee heard heated debate and decided against recommending any change of the mascot name at Anderson High School.

People pushing to change the name argue it's offensive and inappropriate to use the racial reference. Advocates of keeping the name contend that it is part of school tradition and that changing the branding would be an unnecessary expense of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The clash echoes debate in professional sports over the NFL's Washington Redskins' moniker and the Cleveland Indians' Chief Wahoo logo. The Indians' logo is being removed from players' uniforms but not from other merchandise.

Despite his decision to not attend Saturday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, Terrell Owens will be ”honored” by the hall for his NFL career.

Hall President David Baker tells The Associated Press on Monday that the Canton, Ohio, shrine’s mission statement begins with the goal ”to honor the heroes of the game.”

So Owens, who instead will be making an appearance at the University of Chattanooga , where he played college football, will be part of the 2018 class exhibit that includes a glass locker for each new member; their pictures on the light standards of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium; a role in opening videos shown within the stadium; and mention in any reference to the 2018 class.

Baker said NFL Network and ESPN Vinny Curry Jersey , which both televise the inductions, will show a video of Owens’ career to the audience at home. That video will not be shown in the stadium.

”It’s difficult he will not be here to put on the jacket, unveil his bust, make a speech, and attend the parade,” Baker says. ”For those things, there’s nothing we can do.”

Owens has cited the fact it took three years of eligibility for him to make the hall Bo Jackson Jersey , claiming there were false representations of him as a teammate during the voting process. He also noted that no former players vote, ignoring that Hall of Famers James Lofton and Dan Fouts are among those on the committee.

The 44-year-old Owens had a mostly sensational 15-year career playing for San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, Buffalo and Cincinnati. He is second to Jerry Rice in receiving yards and third in touchdown catches behind Rice and Randy Moss, who is entering the hall this week and will attend the festivities.

But he also eventually wore out his welcome in those cities, and now Canton probably can be added to that list.

Though he will always be received properly at the hall Deion Sanders Jersey , Baker says.

”I told him I am very disappointed, it is unprecedented, and we’ve certainly been trying to persuade him to come,” Baker says. ”He has a whole city here, with 4,800 volunteers who do everything to honor these guys. For him, this could be the opportunity to be honored the way I believe he always felt he should be honored.

”We respect he has strong feelings of his own and I respect his right to make that decision. I invited him to the hall Virgil Green Jersey , even at the last moment he would be welcomed, and he is welcomed every day the rest of his life. Even though he is not here, we will honor him to the best of our ability.”

—

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Bill Lazor’s statistical study of the Bengals‘ offense during the offseason left him feeling the same as he did on all those discouraging game days. The numbers confirmed what his eyes had seen so many times.

Some mighty small numbers filled up the columns measuring big plays. The Bengals were one of the most inept teams in the league at getting the ball downfield Duron Harmon Jersey , the main factor in a second straight losing season.

”Statistically, it looks just like it felt,” the Bengals’ offensive coordinator said. ”You were there.”

The main emphasis in Lazor’s overhaul of the offense has been finding ways to get big plays out of an offense that finished last in total yards and near the bottom in big plays as well. It all begins with Andy Dalton, who is coming off one of his least-effective seasons.

The eighth-year quarterback completed 69.9 percent of his passes and averaged 6.69 yards per attempt, both figures his worst since his rookie season. Dalton repeatedly was off-target on long passes. He also was under constant pressure, which limited the time for receivers to get open downfield and contributed to the lack of long passes.

”This group’s been one of the best groups in the NFL – since Andy came into the league – on vertical passes,” coach Marvin Lewis said. ”And we weren’t very good. So that alone is the first thing.”

The 2015 season was Dalton’s best as he worked behind a veteran line. The Bengals had 63 pass plays of at least 20 yards, nine shy of the league high shared by the Saints and Jaguars. Last season Ryan Fitzpatrick Jersey , they managed only 34 such plays, a huge decline. The Saints led the league with 72 pass plays of 20 yards or more.

The passing game wasn’t the only failed area. The Bengals’ longest run was only 25 yards, the worst in the league.

Injuries played a role. Tight end Tyler Eifert hurt his back in the second game and was out for the rest of the season. Top draft pick John Ross was severely limited by two shoulder injuries and didn’t catch a pass.

By contrast, every part of the offense – receivers, tight ends, running backs – provided game-turning plays in 2015.

”Guys did a good job of making tough, contested catches,” Dalton said. ”I was being accurate with the ball Armani Watts Jersey , and guys were catching and running. I think there were probably some broken tackles in the run game and different things. It’s a big thing we want to do.”

The Bengals failed to score a touchdown in their first two games last season and fired offensive coordinator Ken Zampese. Lazor took over as an interim coordinator, got the job after the season, and was given a lot of latitude to reinvent the offense.

The new playbook provides many opportunities to try for a big play.

”It’s not on everything, but there’s definitely chances to take shots down the field,” Dalton said.

The Bengals traded with the Bills for left tackle Cordy Glenn and drafted center Billy Price in the first round as part of their line overhaul. Ross is back and making impressive plays during camp. Eifert signed a one-year deal and was cleared to practice on Monday.

There was no thought of bringing in someone to challenge Dalton, who has the backing of Lewis and owner Mike Brown. They’re hoping a solid line will give Dalton the time he needs to perform more like he did in 2015.

”When Andy came to us in 2011 up to now, our winning percentage is eighth in the league,” said Duke Tobin Chris Conley Jersey , director of player personnel. ”We’re confident in him leading our team. We have to be better in front of him than last year. We’ve got to put a better run game with him.

”We feel like we’ve got weapons on the outside and he should be in the prime of his career, so he’s going to have to lead the charge.”

—

The Alliance of American Football has announced the name of another head coach for its inaugural season in 2019.

Rick Neuheisel will coach the Phoenix entry in the league, which plans to launch in February 2019. Neuheisel’s involvement has been expected for some time, although initial reports indicated that he would be coaching a team based in Southern California.

Neuheisel will instead take over the Phoenix entry and he will coach home games at Sun Devil Stadium. Neuheisel is familiar with the stadium as he coached against Arizona State when he was the head coach at the University of Washington and when he coached UCLA.

“The Alliance鈥檚 emphasis on building a dynamic relationship between players, fans and the game is what immediately grabbed my attention. There is nothing like experiencing the thrill of victory and agony of defeat together. We all invest so much into the game, and that鈥檚 something I鈥檝e missed over the years away from the sidelines,鈥?Neuheisel said in a statement. 鈥淭he combination of a passionate fan base and motivated, talented players looking to make a name for themselves on the professional level will result in exciting football at Sun Devil Stadium in the spring Taron Johnson Jersey , with the ultimate goal being to bring home the first ever Alliance Championship.”

Neuheisel also coached at the University of Colorado and spent time on the Ravens staff from 2005 to 2007. He joins Steve Spurrier, Brad Childress, Mike Singletary and Dennis Erickson as head coaches in the upstart league.

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Tony Finau injured his left ankle celebrating a hole-in-one during the Par-3 Tournament at the Masters and then seemingly popped it back into place.

Finau flew the back of the seventh green on the Par-3 course at Augusta National and spun it back into the hole for an ace. He started running toward the hole to celebrate Steven Nelson Jersey , then turned and backpedaled before landing awkwardly on his left ankle. He dropped to one knee and ended up pushing the joint back into place.

Finau, ranked No. 34 in the world, ended up withdrawing from the event but stuck around for the final two holes. He gingerly walked to a golf cart and was driven off the course.

Tom Watson won the exhibition at 6 under, one shot better than Tommy Fleetwood and Thomas Pieters.

Jack Nicklaus’ grandson, who was caddying for the six-time Masters winner, made a hole-in-one at No. 9.

PRO FOOTBALL

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) – Robert Griffin III is poised to resume his NFL career about 35 miles from where it started.

The former Washington Redskins quarterback agreed on a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens Trent Murphy Jersey , who love the idea of having the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner backing up 10-year starter Joe Flacco. Griffin’s previous stop in an injury-riddled career came in 2016 with the Cleveland Browns. He started five games, winning one.

BOSTON (AP) – A social media message to New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman led police to a teenager who posted a threat about shooting up his school.

The New York Times reported Edelman received a message from a concerned Instagram follower late last month who told him about the threat to ”shoot up” a school in the comments section of his account.

Edelman notified his assistant, Shannen Moen, who called police and they tracked down a 14-year-old boy in Michigan who admitted to posting the threat about his middle school.

Police officials say the boy was charged with making a false report of a threat of terrorism.

Edelman called the man who tipped him off ”the real hero” and says he plans to send him a gift.

DENVER (AP) – Broncos linebacker Von Miller is potentially in hot water after a social media post in which he posed with a bloody hammerhead shark that was caught on a fishing expedition.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has received the images and video from the trip and is ”looking into whether or not a violation occurred in this incident,” said Carol Lyn Parrish, the commission’s public information coordinator. No further details were available.

There’s video of the group trying to put the shark back in the water. The harvesting of hammerhead sharks is a second-degree misdemeanor in Florida. It’s punishable by up to a $500 fine and 60 days in jail, as determined by a judge.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Eagles and tight end Richard Rodgers agreed on a one-year contract.

Rodgers has spent all four of his NFL seasons in Green Bay. He had 12 catches for 160 yards and one touchdown in 2017. They were career lows in each category.

BASEBALL

DENVER (AP) – NL batting champion Charlie Blackmon made a long-term commitment to the Colorado Rockies rather than test next season’s free-agent market Joe Barksdale Jersey , agreeing to a contract that guarantees $108 million over six seasons.

The two-time All-Star center fielder had agreed in January to a $14 million, one-year deal. His new agreement calls for a $2 million signing bonus payable within 30 days of the deal’s approval by the commissioner’s office, a $12 million salary this year and $21 million in each of the next three seasons. Blackmon has player options of $21 million for 2022 and $10 million for 2023, and his 2023 salary can escalate up to $5 million based on plate appearances in 2022.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

MIAMI (AP) – Miami Hurricanes freshman guard Lonnie Walker IV says he’ll turn pro this year, a move anticipated even before his college career began. Walker announced Twitter that he’ll hire an agent, which will prevent him from returning to the Hurricanes, and plans to enter the NBA draft. Many projections list him as a lottery pick.

LAWRENCE Linval Joseph Jersey , Kan. (AP) – Malik Newman plans to leave Kansas and enter the NBA draft after leading the Jayhawks to the Final Four in his only season playing for them. The sophomore guard said he plans to sign with an agent.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) – Duke freshman Trevon Duval is entering the NBA draft. Duval announced his decision through the school, and team spokesman Mike DeGeorge said the point guard plans to hire an agent.

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) – Auburn guard Mustapha Heron said he will enter the NBA draft and plans to hire an agent. The sophomore led the Tigers in scoring each of the past two seasons.

BOSTON (AP) – Boston College guards Jerome Robinson and Ky Bowman will enter the NBA draft but won’t sign with an agent in case they decide to return to school. The players would maintain their eligibility if they are not happy with where they are drafted.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) – East Carolina hired Joe Dooley of Florida Gulf Coast as men’s basketball coach. The school said Dooley agreed to a five-year contract to begin his second stint as the Pirates‘ head coach. He went 57-52 in four seasons from 1995-99 before he was replaced by Bill Herrion.

TENNIS

Novak Djokovic is done working with Andre Agassi and Radek Stepanek after the latest in a series of coaching changes for the 12-time major champion who has gone nearly two full years without winning a Grand Slam title.

Djokovic announced on his website that he has split from Agassi after less than a year and from Stepane

One Titans receiver was deemed healthy enough to play on Sunday while another was taken off the active roster because of an injury.

The Titans announced that Rishard Matthews has been activated from the physically unable to perform list. Indications late last week were that Matthews was set to start working with the rest of the team after having knee surgery in early August.

While he wasn’t yet cleared to play, Matthews was well enough to sign a contract extension through the 2019 season last week.

In addition to activating Matthews, the Titans announced that wide receiver Michael Campanaro has been placed on injured reserve. Campanaro Cassius Marsh Jersey , who signed with the team after four years in Baltimore, has been sidelined by an undisclosed injury and did not appear in any of the team’s preseason games.

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