NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Jared Goff grateful to start work in 1st practice with Rams

OXNARD, Calif. (AP) ? After months of pre-draft preparations leading to a memorable night in Chicago, Jared Goff is finally getting to do what he loves most with his fellow newcomers to the Los Angeles Rams.

The No. 1 pick in the NFL draft went through his first practice alongside the Rams' rookies and undrafted free agents at the coastal temporary training base Friday. Although the Rams didn't do much at full speed, their new quarterback was simply grateful to be in a helmet instead of a suit, and on a field instead of in a classroom.

"It was nice to get out here," Goff said after practice. "Get running around, get to sweat a little bit, throw the ball around, play catch."

Goff capped off a day of meetings and studying with two hours of deliberate practice. The Rams are still a month away from any full-squad workouts, but Goff intends to use the weekend as an opportunity to begin building chemistry with the fleet of rookie pass-catchers acquired along with him last weekend.

Goff has plenty of work to do before he suits up with the veterans during organized team activities next month. He is already hard at work on learning the Rams' offense, realizing he'll need every minute of experience if he hopes to fulfill coach Jeff Fisher's goal for him to start the season opener.

"It's almost like you're learning a different language," Goff said. "It's like you're going into Spanish class. You have to become fluent in Spanish over however long a time it is. There's a lot of stuff that translates, that I kind of understand that it's a different word, and there's lots of stuff that I'm learning. Today it went really well. I felt like I picked it up as the day went on and got better."

Along with the entire Rams' playbook, he is always working on improving his technique under center after a college career spent in the shotgun at California. Goff took plenty of snaps under center in his first practice, but the finer points of the skill will be tested later.

Goff intends to prove he doesn't lack basic NFL skills because of his background in Cal coach Sonny Dykes' Bear Raid offense.

"There is a lot that translates," Goff said. "Most of the (shotgun) stuff translates, all of it. There's under-center stuff that I'm picking up as I go, and it's gone really well so far."

Goff's teammates haven't yet seen the full strength of his arm, but fellow rookie draft picks Tyler Higbee and Pharoh Cooper are eager to catch plenty of passes from him. Goff and Cooper exchanged excited texts about their future during the week between the draft and the rookie camp.

"You want to just be the guy you are and the person you are, to be the leader of my rookie class, per se," said Goff, who plans to "just work as hard as I can, make everyone buy in and just be a good teammate and be the best player I can be."

 

Chiefs' Tyreek Hill arrives for minicamp amid controversy

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) ? Tyreek Hill understands that people are going to be skeptical of him, that there are many Chiefs fans who don't believe the speedy return man deserves a second chance.

He brought it upon itself when he laid his hands on his pregnant girlfriend.

"Those guys, those fans, they have every right to be mad at me because I did something wrong, and I just let my emotions get the best of me and I shouldn't have done it," he said. "They have every right to be mad. But guess what? I'm going to come back and be a better man, be a better citizen."

The Chiefs selected Hill in the fifth round of last weekend's draft, despite pleading guilty last August to abusing and strangling his girlfriend. The pick was sharply criticized on social media, and many Chiefs fans have said that they are dropping season tickets or planning to boycott games.

 

Wake signs $15 million, 2-year deal with Dolphins

DAVIE, Fla. (AP) ? Defensive end Cameron Wake has signed a $15 million, two-year contract extension with the Miami Dolphins through the 2017 season.

Wake, 34, is coming off an Achilles tendon injury that sidelined him after seven games last year. He made the Pro Bowl in 2010 and 2012-14.

His 70 career sacks rank second in team history and 11th among active NFL players.

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Quarterback Sam Bradford has returned for voluntary workouts with the Philadelphia Eagles after asking for a trade last month.

Bradford issued a statement Monday saying he's "committed" to his teammates and the organization. He signed a two-year contract worth $36 million with $22 million guaranteed before the Eagles traded up twice in the NFL draft and selected Carson Wentz with the No. 2 overall pick.

The Eagles also signed Chase Daniel to a three-year, $21 million deal to back up Bradford. New coach Doug Pederson stressed during Bradford's two-week absence that the team wanted him to return and be the starter.

 

The Eagles make no sense. They sign two QBs for 57 million, and then they trade up to draft one. Why did they sign Daniels for 7 million a season if they were going to draft their future starter?

 

Because the starter has knees made out of crystal and Wentz won't be ready in 2016?

 

Yes but 7 million is a big price tag for a QB who is a career backup?

 

I said this before but I think Pederson really wanted Daniel and him and his agent just milked it for as much as they could with "offers from other teams to potentially be a starter" and whatnot.

 

Ask Dallas if they wished they had spent some money for a back-up QB.

 

Lions acquire Patriots LB Jon Bostic for conditional pick

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) ? The Detroit Lions have acquired New England Patriots linebacker Jon Bostic.

Detroit made the trade Monday, giving up a conditional draft choice.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn saw Bostic up close last year as the Patriots' director of pro scouting.

Bostic started in one game and played in 11 last season for the Patriots after starting in 17 games the previous two seasons for the Chicago Bears. He has made 140 tackles, including two sacks, intercepted one pass and recovered a fumble.

Chicago drafted Bostic, the former Florida standout, in the second round of the 2013 draft.

The Patriots also signed defenseman Anthony Johnson. Johnson entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Dolphins in 2014 out of LSU. The 6-foot-2, 317-pounder, made the Miami 53-man roster as a rookie and played in seven games, recording two tackles and recovering a fumble.

 

Raiders sign free-agent DE Damontre Moore

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) ? The Oakland Raiders have signed free-agent defensive end Damontre Moore.

The Raiders announced the move on Monday, a week after Moore was released by Miami.

Moore was originally a third-round draft pick by the New York Giants in 2013. He played 45 games in three seasons with the Giants and Dolphins. He has 9 1/2 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and four passes defensed.

Moore's best season came in 2014 when he had 5 1/2 sacks for the Giants. He was released during the 2015 season and ended the year playing three games for Miami.

The Raiders also signed deals with three draft picks: first-round safety Karl Joseph, fourth-round quarterback Connor Cook and seventh-round guard Vadal Alexander.

 

Chiefs swap DBs, offensive linemen after rookie minicamp

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? The Chiefs have signed defensive back Shannon Edwards and offensive linemen Garrick Mayweather, Drew Nowak and Zach Sterup following the completion of their three-day rookie minicamp.

Defensive back Jordan Kovacs and offensive linemen Jake Bernstein, Ben Clarke and Laurence Gibson were released Tuesday to clear roster space for the new additions.

Edwards, a standout at Fresno State, impressed the Chiefs by picking off a couple passes during the minicamp. But he remains a longshot to make the roster after the Chiefs drafted three other cornerbacks.

The 6-foot-3, 330-pound Mayweather played at Fordham and the 6-9, 320-pound Sterup played at Nebraska. Nowak was signed as an undrafted free agent by Jacksonville in 2012 and has spent time with Seattle.

 

Vikings sign former Augustana RB C.J. Ham

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) ? The Minnesota Vikings have signed running back C.J. Ham, who took part in their rookie minicamp last weekend on a tryout basis.

The product of Duluth Denfeld High School played at Division II Augustana College in South Dakota, leading the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with 16 rushing touchdowns last year. He became the fourth running back in program history to post a 1,000-yard season.

Minnesota's best tryout success story was cornerback Marcus Sherels, who was signed after rookie minicamp in 2010 and six years later remains the primary punt returner.

To make room on the 90-man roster, the Vikings waived safety John Lowdermilk, who was on the practice squad last season.

 

Rams safety T.J. McDonald arrested in LA on suspicion of DUI

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Los Angeles Rams safety T.J. McDonald has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of an unknown substance after he apparently struck a parked car.

Police spokesman Mike Lopez says the 25-year-old player was arrested Tuesday morning after officers found him at the crash scene in Woodland Hills.

Lopez said an investigation led officers to believe he was driving under the influence of a substance other than alcohol.

McDonald, a former Southern California star, was booked and released on $300 bail. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's website says he is due in court June 3.

The Rams said in a statement they were gathering information about McDonald's arrest and had no further comment.

 

As Don Henley said:
Driving with your eyes closed,
Your going to hit something
But that's the way it goes.

 

Danny Amendola explains why he gave up $4.4 million to stay with the Patriots

By Cameron DaSilva
May 10, 2016 at 2:32p ET
The New England Patriots are a team just about every player would love to play for. They've missed the playoffs just once since 2003 and are perennial favorites to win the Super Bowl so long as Tom Brady is there and healthy. It's an especially great franchise to be a part of as a wideout.

Danny Amendola showed that by making the ultimate football sacrifice to remain in New England. He was reportedly set to make up to $6 million this season, which is $4.4 million more than he'll actually earn after the team restructured his contract. That's a massive pay cut for a veteran wideout, but Amendola was happy to do it.

"I spent so much time with these guys and put in so much work, and I love playing for coach [Bill Belichick] and the staff and the best city in the country,so I'm excited to be back," Amendola told 98.5 the Sports Hub on Tuesday.



The main reason for taking a huge reduction in pay to stay with the Patriots is simple, and fairly obvious: they win, and there was plenty of depth behind him pushing for his job.

"I feel like we're always pretty deep going into every season," he said with regards to the wide receiver depth. "Every team, they try to stack their [roster] up and see what roles each guy can kind of fill out. That's no different this year. We have a lot of talent in our room. And a lot of guys that are ready to make plays.

"Most importantly, I love this city. I love playing for the Pats. And I love the atmosphere that coach Belichick creates everyday. That's ultimately why I want to play here."

Amendola wasn't a big part of the offense a year ago, but he was reliable when Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski went down with injuries. Last season, Amendola caught 65 passes for 648 yards and three touchdowns.

 

http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2016/04/eagles_sam_bradford_will_cost_more_than_a_second-r.html

old news but eagles wanted a lot for bradford via trade. no takers bc no one is that stupid !

 

A shame - reported he still can't turn his head.