A crowd of reporters around his locker Melvin Ingram Jersey , Robert Nkemdiche was asked what he learned the first two years in the NFL.
”I learned I was terrible,” he said.
He was joking. Everyone laughed.
But, with a new coaching staff giving the big defensive tackle a clean slate, this is a big season for the former first-round draft pick to prove to the Cardinals that they were right to select him 29th overall out of Mississippi in 2017.
There have been no breakout performances, just a big play here and there – he returned an Eli Manning fumble for a TD last season – and there have been too many mistakes, including way too many offside penalties. In 17 career games, he has 12 tackles, four of them solo, and zero sacks.
He knows it is time to show he’s better than that or risk forever being saddled as a ”draft bust.”
If the mammoth player – 6-foot-4 Fran Tarkenton Jersey , 296 pounds – harnesses his raw skills and attends to the little things, maybe he’ll even find himself starting up front.
”I try to stay away from the analogies of guys who are busts because everybody has their own projection of how they see guys,” Cardinals first-year head coach Steve Wilks said after Monday’s practice, the team’s first in pads. ”In a short period of time of being around Robert, I think he’s a tremendous player. I think he’s locked in, he’s focused. I think he’s doing well and I think he’s going to be a good player for us this year.”
Nkemdiche won’t call this a make-or-break season, but he has learned a lot about what it takes to succeed in the trenches at the game’s highest level.
”It’s a big step,” he said of this coming season. ”It’s not really technically pressure. It’s just me wanting to be good, me wanting to give back to these guys Shilique Calhoun Jersey , and all the guys who put in work for me, and give back to the coaches, people who believe in me and really just resting that case and being the player I know I can be.
”There’s really no pressure, just `come on, take a step forward.”’
Nkemdiche has his quirks, including colorfully braided hair and a nose ring. He likes shopping at Goodwill.
Nkemdiche is not that stereotypical growling monster of a human that people believe play defensive tackle in this violent game. But he wants to be good and insists he is a severe critic of himself.
He blames his two unproductive seasons on injuries and ”some things I could have did better.”
”Just being a more polished player, as in the whole perspective and really just growing as a dude, as a person,” he said. ”It’s cool. Things have slowed down a little bit and it’s fun. I can actually see what’s going on. It’s not like a blur.”
He should take some solace in the case of Arizona teammate D.J. Humphries. The Cardinals drafted the big tackle out of Florida in the first round (24th overall) in 2015 but he didn’t even suit up for a game as a rookie- the Cardinals coaches were convinced he didn’t have the maturity yet to play in the league. But the next season he was the starter at right tackle and eventually was moved to the left side. Injuries limited him to five games last year Larry Csonka Jersey , but he has evolved into the Cardinals’ best offensive lineman and anchors that unit at left tackle this year.
Wilks has said he doesn’t mind players with a few quirks, that he would ”let Robert be Robert” as long as he continues to work hard to get better. So far, so good.
The coach said after Monday’s workout that he’s encouraged.
”His commitment,” Wilks said. ”He’s trying to do it our way. Change sometimes is hard for everyone and I think he’s embraced that. He meets a lot with coach (Don) Johnson. His energy on the football field is phenomenal and he’s trying to pay attention to details. You just got to make sure he’s consistent and concentrates and doesn’t jump offside. That’s one of the concerns.”
So it’s details, details, details for Nkemdiche, and, most importantly, some production when he’s on the field.
”Do it on Sunday Ethan Pocic Jersey ,” he said. ”When it’s game time, show up and play ball. It’s a very simple concept, just go out there and be a dog, be a disruptive force, play every play at extreme capacity.”
And don’t jump offside.
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The Buffalo Bills have hired Terry Robiskie to be their receivers coach in the latest offseason shuffle of Sean McDermott's staff.
Robiskie has 36 seasons of NFL coaching experience, including the previous two as the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator. He twice finished a season as an interim head coach with Washington in 2000 and Cleveland in 2004.
The 63-year-old replaces Phil McGeoghan who was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers to be their receivers coach on Tuesday. McGeoghan spent just one season in Buffalo and oversaw a patchwork unit that lacked consistency and was also hampered by injuries.
Robiskie joins a revamped offensive staff under coordinator Brian Daboll, who was hired last month. Daboll took over after Rick Dennison was fired days after Buffalo's season ended with a 10-3 loss to Jacksonville in the AFC wild-card playoff round.
The Bills finished last season ranked 29th in yards offense and 31st in yards passing.
USA Football says 242 high schools contributed to the 256 players selected in the seven rounds of last month’s NFL draft.
Lakewood High School in Florida and Serra High in California each had three players selected to lead the country.
Patriots first-round pick Isaiah Wynn Patrick Kerney Jersey , Packers fifth-rounder Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Seahawks fifth-rounder Shaquem Griffin attended Lakewood.
Griffin, who is missing his left hand, was one of the biggest stories of the draft in Arlington, Texas, when he was selected on the last day to join his twin brother Shaquill’s team.
49ers second-rounder Dante Pettis, Seahawks third-rounder Rasheem Green Kurt Coleman Jersey , and Ravens‘ fifth-rounder Jordan Lasley went to Serra High.
In all 12 high schools had multiple players drafted.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Orlando Scandrick was on a plane headed home for a last-minute visit with his family when the Kansas City Chiefs played the Atlanta Falcons in their second preseason game last week.
He didn’t get to see another shaky performance by their secondary until reporting to his new team.
Now the veteran cornerback who spent nearly a decade with the Dallas Cowboys and was recently cut loose by the Washington Redskins will try to help patch it up. The Chiefs signed the 31-year-old Scandrick over the weekend in the hopes he can stabilize one of their biggest areas of need.
“I’m just trying to find my way around right now. I’ve only been here a few days,” he said with a smile Monday. “I’m doing a whole lot of listening and not a lot of talking.”
Scandrick won’t have a whole lot of time to get up to speed. The Chiefs visit the Chicago Bears this weekend for their third preseason game, then have a quick turnaround before their preseason finale.
Their regular-season opener is a mere three weeks away.
“After being in the league for 10 years, there’s only so many coverages a team can run, only so many philosophies,” He said. “I’m just trying to learn the terminology right now.”
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has been a bit uncertain of his defensive backfield since the start of training camp Garrett Celek Jersey , when they had Bashaud Breeland in for an extended visit. But Veach didn’t pull the trigger on a veteran addition until signing Scandrick last week.
“You can’t have enough corners, so Brett’s kept his eyes open, brought a couple in,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “This one, he felt comfortable.”
Finances were a big part of it — the cash-strapped Chiefs would only owe him $1.5 million for the upcoming season — but so was were injuries and underwhelming performances early in camp.
The Chiefs lost Daniel Sorensen for at least the start of the season after the safety broke a bone in his shin. They are also without cornerback Steven Nelson — expected to start opposite new arrival Kendall Fuller — after he sustained a concussion in their preseason opener.
A lingering heel injury has forced Eric Berry to the sideline the past couple of weeks, and the trade of Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams this year has made a secondary that struggled last season potentially worse.
“The big thing for us is just communicating and being on the same page and at the end of the day, making plays on the ball Steve Largent Jersey ,” said Fuller, who arrived in the trade for Alex Smith. “As a DB, the more plays on the ball that you make, the better the opportunity you give your team to win.”
The Chiefs hope Scandrick can help make some of those plays. They hope Berry can, too.
The perennial Pro Bowl safety missed almost all of last season with a torn Achilles tendon, but he appeared ahead of schedule in his recovery when he participated in the offseason program. Berry also was on the practice fields of Missouri Western State University for the start of training camp, which Chiefs fans took as a good omen for the upcoming season.
Then he began sitting out practices with a heel injury. And so far Kenny Young Jersey , the injury has caused Berry to miss enough time that many are wondering whether there is something more serious afoot.
“I just don’t want to go backward. That’s what I don’t want to do,” Reid said between Monday’s morning walk-through and an afternoon practice. “I’m OK with it. He’s far enough long. … I just have to monitor it and see where he’s at. I’m comfortable where he’s going with this thing.”
Notes: DL Allen Bailey (knee strain) and OG Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff (concussion) joined Nelson and Berry in sitting out Monday’s practice. … RB Charcandrick West participated in some of the workout for the first time in several weeks after dealing with a concussion. “He feels good. The docs say he’s OK,” Reid said. “We’re in pads today, be helpful to see him move around.”
The Chiefs have insisted they’re willing to let Patrick Mahomes learn through his mistakes Lorenzo Alexander Jersey , because they think big plays are coming as well.
He proved them right on both counts in the first half against the Falcons Friday.
Mahomes lost track of the Falcons defense and threw a bad interception, but followed with a ridiculous 69-year touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill on the next possession.
You get the sense it’s going to be that kind of year for Mahomes and the Chiefs.
After a lackluster opener, Mahomes was 8-of-12 for 138 yards in his half of work against the Falcons. He also threw in 16 rushing yards, giving every indication of the potential they saw in him to trade a future first-rounder to get him, then to trade Alex Smith to clear the way.
Since relocating from Atlanta in 2011, the Winnipeg Jets were never considered a dangerous team. That is until this season.
The streaking Jets seek their 10th win in 11 games on Thursday night when they host the Calgary Flames.
Winnipeg (50-20-10) continued its surge on Tuesday with a 5-4 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens to cap a four-game road trip. With two games remaining, the Jets trail the Central Division-leading Nashville Predators by three points.
“(The win) puts us in a position to keep fighting for first place in our division,” said Winnipeg backup goaltender Steve Mason Jim Otto Jersey , who made 36 saves against the Canadiens.
Rookie Kyle Connor ended it with a historic marker. Selected 17th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, Connor is the second rookie in club history with 30 goals, joining Patrik Laine, who scored 36 last season.
“Great for a first-year player,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said of Connor, who leads all rookies in goals. “He’s developed really strongly this year.”
Since March 15, Connor is Winnipeg’s top scorer with 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 10 games. Laine collected four points DeShone Kizer Jersey , including three goals, over the same stretch.
Despite his slump, Laine has 44 goals, and trails only Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (46 goals) for the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. Laine has one tally in four career games against Calgary.
If Connor Hellebuyck (42-11-9, 2.40 goals-against average, six shutouts) starts for Winnipeg, he will be looking to tie the record for most wins in a season by a goaltender born in the United States. Tom Barrasso won 43 games in 1992-93 for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Amid all the personal accomplishments and potential milestones, seeing the club reach 50 wins means more to Maurice Phil Simms Jersey , who has reached 50 victories for the first time as a coach.
“That means you’re a consistent hockey team. To get that many wins over the course (of a season), you can’t have a lot of lulls,” he said.
The Jets are looking for their fourth win in five home games against the Flames.
Winnipeg split two matchups in Calgary this season. After opening the campaign with a 6-3 defeat on Oct. 7, the Jets rebounded with a 2-1 shootout victory on Jan. 20.
Calgary (36-34-10) is trying to avoid its ninth loss in 10 games after falling 4-1 to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday.
Mike Smith, who sat while rookie Jon Gilles got start in goal, is looking forward to facing the Jets.
“They’re a good team this year, so I think it’s a challenge for our team to kind of go out on a good note going into the summer,” said Smith Kenny Stills Jersey , who is 0-3-2 with a 3.43 goals-against average in his career at Bell MTS Place.
The Flames have the best road record among non-playoff teams at 20-14-6.
Calgary could get defenseman Travis Hamonic back after he missed two games with an upper-body injury. A decision will be made Thursday.
“No one wants to be sitting around, doesn’t matter how long it is. You want to get back in and compete, that’s kind of what we’re wired to do so,” Hamonic told the Flames’ official website on Wednesday.
Calgary wraps up its season Saturday at home against the Pacific Division champion Vegas Golden Knights.
A pair of veteran wide receivers trying to make the Eagles found out their bids fell short on Saturday.
Kamar Aiken and Markus Wheaton were both released as the defending Super Bowl champs cut the roster to 53 players. Alshon Jeffery Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Jersey , Nelson Agholor, Mike Wallace, Mack Hollins, Shelton Gibson and DeAndre Carter are the receivers on the initial roster.
The Eagles placed defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan on the non-football injury list and safety Chris Maragos on the physically unable to perform list, so neither player will be in the lineup for the first six weeks of the season. They also released vested veteran defensive end Steven Means.
Cornerback DJ Killings, tight end Gannon Sinclair and tackle Toby Weathersby were all waived with injury designations. If unclaimed, they will revert to injured reserve.
Quarterback Joe Callahan, quarterback Christian Hackenberg and running back Donnel Pumphrey were waived in previously reported moves. They are joined on the waiver wire by running back Josh Adams, cornerback De’Vante Bausby, linebacker Asantay Brown, tight end Billy Brown, defensive tackle Winston Craig, wide receiver Rashard Davis, tight end Anthony Denham Kyle Rudolph Jersey , guard Aaron Evans, defensive end Danny Ezechukwu, safety Ironhead Gallon, guard Darrell Greene, tackle Taylor Hart, running back Matt Jones, defensive end Joe Ostman, wide receiver Darius Prince, defensive tackle Elijah Qualls, safety Jeremy Reaves, defensive tackle Aziz Shittu, cornerback Chandon Sullivan, center Jon Toth, wide receiver Bryce Treggs Robert Griffin III Jersey , wide receiver Greg Ward, linebacker Jaboree Williams, linebacker Kyle Wilson, and wide receiver Tim Wilson.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — New England might have found a running back in undrafted free agent Ralph Webb.
Washington may have lost one with a knee injury to second-round pick Derrius Guice.
Webb ran for two touchdowns and also scored on a pair of 2-point conversions on Thursday night as the defending AFC champions rallied from a 17-0 first-half deficit to beat Washington 26-17 in the teams’ exhibition openers.
“I’ve been working my whole life for this, to come out here and get a chance to compete,” said Webb, who was undrafted out of Vanderbilt and listed ninth among nine running backs on the Patriots‘ depth chart. “I’m blessed to be able to be here and say that I did it.”
Guice, the No. 59 overall pick from LSU, was slow getting up after a 34-yard run that was negated by a penalty late in the first quarter. Coach Jay Gruden said he would have an MRI on his knee on Friday.
“I just said a little prayer for Derrius,” Washington quarterback Colt McCoy said. “I hope he’s OK.”
McCoy outplayed New England’s Brian Hoyer in a scrimmage of backup quarterbacks, while starters Tom Brady and Alex Smith stayed on the sidelines counting their money.
On the day that the Patriots reportedly sweetened Brady’s contract with $5 million in incentives, the reigning NFL MVP sat out the game, along with tight end Rob Gronkowski.
“Some players played and some players didn’t Jonathan Ogden Jersey ,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “We wanted to take a look at some guys.”
ESPN reported before the game that the Patriots would add $5 million in incentives to Brady’s contract, which was due to pay him $15 million. That would bring the 41-year-old, five-time Super Bowl champion closer in pay to less accomplished quarterbacks around the league — including Smith, who got a four-year, $94 million extension from Washington.
Brady’s agent, Don Yee, did not respond to an email seeking comment. Patriots spokesman Stacey James said the team does not comment on contracts.
McCoy completed 13 of 18 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns in a little less than a half, helping to stake Washington to a 17-0 lead before he was replaced by third-stringer Kevin Hogan.
Hoyer struggled against the Washington starters, but drove New England to a pair of second-half touchdowns, including Webb’s 8-yard TD run followed by the catch on a 2-point conversion that gave New England an 18-17 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Trent Harris strip-sacked Hogan and Geneo Grissom recovered the ball and ran 53 yards before he was brought down near the goal line. Webb punched it in for the touchdown and also ran in the conversion to make it 26-17.
Hoyer was 16 of 23 for 144 yards.
TWO HALVES
The Patriots offense did little until back-to-back 20-plus yard catches by Devin Lucien set up Stephen Gostkowski’s 52-yard field goal just before halftime. Mike Gillislee ran seven times for 31 yards on a drive that set up Jeremy Hill’s 1-yard run.
Webb made it 18-17 with nine minutes left in the game and added an insurance score with 3:27 to play. Washington’s Dustin Hopkins, who kicked a 52-yard field goal at the end of the first quarter, banged a 56-yarder off the left upright just inside the two-minute warning.
Third-stringer Danny Etling, a seventh-round draft pick Hunter Henry Jersey , was 2 of 5 for 21 yards, with a fumble for New England. Hogan completed 7 of 9 passes for 44 yards, but also fumbled for Washington.
INJURIES
Washington was hit with a slew of injuries. Also needing medical attention: TE Manasseh Gardner (knee), and WR Trey Quinn, who took a hard shot in the side from Patriots cornerback Ryan Lewis and took a few minutes to get up before heading to the medical tent.
“Trey Quinn is getting checked,” Gruden said. “Some internal stuff going on.”
LEADING THE CHARGE
As usual, Brady led the team out of the tunnel before the game. But he was not carrying a helmet as he jogged onto the field. Julian Edelman, who missed all of last season with a knee injury and will miss the first four games of 2018 because of a suspension for performance-enhancers, sprinted the length of the field.
BIG PLAY
McCoy hit Cam Sims with a 57-yard pass midway through the second quarter. Sims pulled the ball down behind his defender, made one person miss at the sideline and dodged another before he was brought down at the 2. Two plays later, McCoy connected with Maurice Harris to give Washington a 17-0 lead.
NATIONAL ANTHEM
All of the players on each team appeared to stand for the national anthem, some bowing their heads and others placing their hands on their hearts. The Patriots observed a moment of silence beforehand for Weymouth police officer Michael Chesna, who was killed last month in the line of duty.
NEXT UP
Washington: Hosts the New York Jets on Thursday night in its second exhibition game.
Patriots: Play their second and final home preseason game on Thursday night with a Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis said this week that he expects to play a reduced role in the team’s defense during the 2018 season and he won’t wait around for that role to grow even smaller in 2019.
Davis told Brooke Cersosimo of NFL Media that 2018 will be his final season as an NFL player.
Davis joined the Panthers as a first-round pick in 2005 and made one start as a rookie before moving up the depth chart in his second year. He’s started all but three games that he’s played for Carolina since the start of the 2006 season Patrick DiMarco Jersey , but missed all but nine games from 2009-2011 because he tore his ACL three times.
He returned to play in strong form, making second team All-Pro in 2013 and the first team in 2015. He was also named the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2014 in recognition of his off-field work.
Deandre Ayton spent Wednesday with the Phoenix Suns with the feeling that this was the start of a beautiful relationship.
The 7-foot-1, 250-pound center went through what he said would be his only pre-draft workout and expressed supreme confidence that the Suns will use the No. 1 overall pick to select him.
”I know I’m going No. 1,” he told reporters.
Not that the Suns have assured him of that, he’s just that confident that the team won’t pass on his combination of size, strength, athleticism and shooting touch.
”Nobody told me,” he said. ”That’s just me. I think I deserve that. I’ve worked hard.”
It would be a comfortable fit for Ayton, who was born in the Bahamas and moved to the Phoenix area during high school. He said most of his family now lives here. Ayton played his one year of college basketball a couple of hours down Interstate 10 at the University of Arizona.
”Everybody knows us now,” he said. ”This is our second home so we just feel welcome, and it would be a blessing if I become the No. 1 pick and stay here and make this home.”
Ayton said teaming with young Suns star Devin Booker would be ”Shaq and Kobe 2-point-0.”
”We could really make something happen in Phoenix,” he said. ”We could really have a spark and start a winning legacy.”
There hasn’t been much winning in Phoenix lately. The Suns have missed the playoffs eight years in a row and had the NBA’s worst record last season at 21-61 Patrick Robinson Jersey , second-worst in franchise history.
But there is a young core of talent and most of those players, including Booker and Josh Jackson, watched what Ayton described as ”a pretty intense” individual workout.
For nearly an hour, Suns coach Igor Kokoskov and his staff put Ayton through a series of game situations, as much as possible given the fact no other players were on the floor.
”It was everything that we expected form Deandre,” general manager Ryan McDonough said. ”Obviously we’ve watched him closely at Arizona and we’ve scouted him heavily in person in games, at practice and on film. He showed us what we expected to see.”
McDonough said ”it’s pretty rare” to find such a player.
”I think this is my 16th draft in the NBA,” McDonough said, ”and you can probably count on one hand the number of guys with his size, athleticism, footwork, balance Julio Jones Jersey , touch. It’s a unique package.”
He was particularly impressed with Ayton’s outside shooting touch.
”We knew he was big and strong and athletic and moved well at that size, had good length, had great hands,” McDonough said, ”but to see him make shot after shot in a workout in different scenarios.”
And he’s just 19 years old.
The Suns plan other workouts with candidates for the No. 1 pick later this week. The group won’t include Luka Doncic, who is still playing in Europe.
Phoenix is not tipping its hand, but Ayton will be hard to pass up.
”The strength of our team right now are young perimeter players, led by Devin Booker, Josh Jackson and T.J. Warren,” McDonough said. ”We’ve been looking for a center to kind of anchor our team offensively and defensively. We think Deandre has that kind of potential. … He’s certainly a unique player and a unique talent that I think would fit in great with the rest of our roster.”
Ayton averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds in his one season at Arizona. He brushed aside questions about his defense.
”I don’t think that’s a weakness,” he said. ”I haven’t had the opportunity to really guard any bigs in college. I was always on the perimeter with the guards.”
Still, he pointed out K.J. Wright Jersey , he averaged 2.3 blocked shots per game.
On offense, Ayton said, ”I can score inside and out.”
”There will be a lot of mismatches because if I guard them they have to guard me at the end of the day,” he said. ”I can score, I can pick and pop, I can pick and roll, I can put the ball on the ground, rebound, push the ball. It’s an open floor now. Nobody is really double-teaming or triple-teaming.”
He said there is no current player on which he patterns his game. But he mentioned two pretty good ones from the past.
”Kevin Garnett, his intensity on both ends of the floor, how he changes the game, rebounding. From offense to defense Rees Odhiambo Jersey , him starting the pick and roll, stuff like that,” Ayton said, ”how he’s so vocal with his teammates. And Hakeem Olajuwon, with his footwork down low, I try to really pick up a lot of stuff with those guys.”
Ayton called himself the most competitive player in the draft. He said there’s none of the laid-back attitude that’s a trademark of his homeland.
”I left at age 12, so I got a little Americanized with the competitive level,” he said.
Ayton planned to get together with Booker and other Suns players to watch Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
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