LaberFred » surgery that July 1 and missed the remainder of the season

Topics this week include?an under-the-radar potential Hall of Fame career, a look at why Stefon Diggs lasted until the fifth round of last years draft, whats next for Jay Cutler?and more.Aqib Talib working his way into HOF careerA prevailing storyline throughout the offseason was whether Broncos cornerback?Aqib Talib?was available in a trade. Only he wasnt. Its possible his name came up in conversations between Denver and other teams, but at no point were the Broncos looking to trade him.Rather than speculating on whether Talib, a three-time Pro Bowler, could be traded, its about time to wonder whether he one day will find his way to Canton, Ohio.Coming off last Sundays win against Indianapolis and heading into Sundays game at Cincinnati, Talib has returned nine interceptions for touchdowns, tied for the fourth-most in NFL history along with Pro Football Hall of Fame selections Ken Houston, Deion Sanders and Aeneas Williams. Talib is three interception-return touchdowns short of tying Rod Woodson, another Hall of Famer, for most in NFL history.Even though Talib has bounced around the league, from Tampa to New England to Denver, he gradually is playing himself into the Hall of Fame conversation.--?Adam SchefterHow will the Bears handle Jay Cutlers contract?Two weeks into the season, intriguing quarterback storylines are already taking shape and will remain for weeks and months to come.Jimmy Garoppolos emergence will force New England to ponder whether to sign him to a long-term extension or trade him for a premium pick or two.Robert Griffins?and Josh McCowns shoulder injuries will put the spotlight on Cleveland and rookie quarterback Cody Kessler, raising the question of whether the Browns need to invest another high pick in a quarterback.And then there is the nearly annual issue and question of what to do with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, but this year there is a significant difference. Cutler has no more guaranteed money left on his contract. The Bears are past the dangerous portion of his contract, leaving them in a position to do what they want with Cutler, when they want to do it.Should the Bears decide to trade or release Cutler, they will take only a $2 million salary cap hit while clearing up an additional $13 million in salary-cap space. Parting ways with Cutler would give Chicago, which already is projected to have $41 million in salary-cap space in 2017, about $54 million of cap flexibility, though needing a starting quarterback to pay and play.But seemingly all along there have been questions about what the Bears should do with Cutler. Now if they choose, they can move on from him without any financial punishment -- and because Cutler has no early bonus payments due, the Bears dont have to be rushed into a decision. It all leaves Chicago at the epicenter of the many quarterback questions that will follow teams throughout the season and into the offseason.-- Adam SchefterHow good could Stefon Diggs be?Diggs, a rare five-star receiver in the Class of 2012,?was one of the most nationally celebrated high school recruits in Maryland Terrapins history. The early knock on Diggs at Maryland was that he acted like an entitled high school star who bypassed offers from bigger brand-name colleges to become the local hero.Enter Keenan McCardell, who became Marylands receivers coach one year later. McCardell was one of the classic overachievers in the NFL, a former 12th-round pick who became a Pro Bowl receiver and finished a 16-year career with 11,373 yards. McCardell knew Diggs had aspirations to play in the NFL. He also knew Diggs had some growing up to do.There were a lot of people who were telling him how good he was, McCardell said. I just taught him the facts of life in football, in the NFL, because I knew he wanted to play at the next level. He was a phenomenal talent, but you cant light it up in practice one day, then go through the motions to next day. Its hard to be great. Great players work hard every day. I used to tell him that if he had worked [poorly] on a particular day, he would have been cut [in the NFL].McCardell specifically mentioned the benefit of Diggs being influenced now by Vikings receivers coach George Stewart, offensive coordinator Norv Turner and head coach Mike Zimmer. In McCardells eyes, Diggs emergence, which continued with nine catches for 182 yards and a touchdown in Sundays win over the Packers, was not a shock. New quarterback Sam Bradford immediately noticed the talent upon his recent arrival. Now, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott has talked about the difficulty of defending Diggs for Sundays game.I told scouts [before the 2015 draft] that he may not play as fast without the ball, but when hes got the ball in those big hands of his, hes one of the best at finding the end zone or working his way upfield, McCardell said. He is very competitive. People are finding that out.So why was Diggs a fifth-round pick in 2015? Injuries and immaturity made him a difficult evaluation. He once was suspended for a game after bumping an official when Maryland captains refused to shake hands with Penn State captains before a game. He also suffered a broken fibula and lacerated kidney in college. But in games he played, he was productive. One personnel man said there were questions that might have been resolved if Diggs had been able to make the college all-star game circuit,?but he was not eligible to play in those postseason showcases because he was a junior when he declared for the draft.I told him there were a lot of first-round guys in the NFL who get their pink slip after three or four years, so dont worry about a big rookie pay day, McCardell said. You dont want to be that pink-slip guy. I think mentally hes getting it figured out, and physically he can be special with that ball in his hands.-- Chris MortensenJ.J. Watt changes?workout regimenWhen?Texans?defensive end?J.J. Watt had surgery to repair a herniated disk in early July, there was internal exasperation that he?was becoming a victim of his own work ethic. In simple terms, its labeled as overtraining.Yet here he is, still not missing a game as he enters his sixth year, still wrecking offenses as he did the Chiefs on Sunday, and drawing comparisons from Patriots coach Bill Belichick to Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, whom Belichick once coached with the Giants.?The Texans have added their own sports science coordinator, Erik Korem. And just as Watt must adjust when he moves positionally along the Texans defensive front, he understands the adjustments to his training regimen are necessary to a point.You have no other choice, said Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. I know that if I dont do it right, Im going to be right back in the operating room. Thats one thing I know how to do, is be disciplined.It may be frustrating to do what they tell me I have to do -- and at the same time I am asking them to push the limits, too. Im never going to push it too far, but I am going to ask them, Hey, listen, I am an aggressive guy. I want to be aggressive with this. I think thats why theres a little bit of a faster recovery timetable than expected, because we do, we push those limits. But as long as you have the right mindset and you do it the right way, you can do it safely and smartly.Watts longtime personal trainer is Brad Arnett of NX Level Sports Performance in Waukesha, Wisconsin, who understands Watts relentless drive for greatness. Watt is just more passionate than the rest.Ive always tried to instill in him more isnt always better, Arnett said. There are times you literally want to punch him in the face because hes stubborn and his work ethic is part of his DNA. When it comes to training, this is what I know right now -- its getting him to accept or surrender to some adjustments, but hes always going to push the limits within those adjustments.-- Chris MortensenDick LeBeaus schemes and golf game are Titans best-kept secretsThe marvels of Tennessee Titans assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeaus career continue.Through two games this season, LeBeaus defense has given up only one touchdown, one fewer than the two that Tennessees offense has surrendered off turnovers. So in the early part of this season, the Titans offense has given up more points than the Titans defense. The Titans defense is one of the biggest reasons Tennessee upset Detroit in Week 2, and it will try to shut down Oakland and its top-rated offense on Sunday.In a conversation this week, LeBeau was quick to credit his players, saying they deserved all the praise. They went from the leagues 29th-rated defense two years ago to the 12th-rated defense in 2015 to one of the leagues most underrated units this season. But LeBeau is one of the defenses top secrets and best weapons. Few coaches ever have been more beloved by their players or have gotten more out of them. LeBeau did it in Cincinnati, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and now Tennessee, where it should be no surprise his methods have kicked in.We have more depth, weve got a pretty solid core of defenders, and theyre playing hard and theyre playing together, LeBeau said Monday night. These first few weeks, we need to grow a great deal, but everyone is working at being a team.It is a challenge, but LeBeau always is up to them. To provide some insight into how prolific he has been, look no further than his golf game. Last year alone, LeBeau, 79, shot a lower score than his age during 73 separate golf outings. His best round was a 65 at Forest Creek Golf Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Just before training camp began last summer, LeBeau used a 7 iron to record his seventh lifetime hole-in-one. LeBeau now has six Super Bowl rings and seven holes-in-one.Well, LeBeau said with a laugh, it would be nice to get another Super Bowl ring to balance it out.-- Adam SchefterEmptying out the notebookCarson Wentz still has some Eagles cringing when he makes plays with his legs, taking on tacklers at times. One general manager?said that unless a quarterbacks name is Cam Newton, it would behoove a team to emphasize to the QB the difference between escapability and running with the football. If they could threaten to fine [Wentz] $10,000 for not protecting himself when hes escaping a pass rush, they should do it. Hes that valuable to them. That goes for a lot of these quarterbacks, but its the way he played in college, and it cant continue.Hard to imagine, and it feels like it could happen only in Cleveland, but the Browns will start their fifth quarterback in five games Sunday at Miami. Dating back to last season, the Browns started Johnny Manziel in Week 16 and Austin Davis in Week 17, and then in this seasons first three weeks, Cleveland will have started Griffin, McCown and now Kessler against the Dolphins.Detroit has won once in Green Bay?since 1991. As if it werent tough enough to win there, the Lions will be playing a Green Bay team coming off a tough Sunday night division loss in Minnesota, in the Packers home opener.The NFL never is what it appears: Trevor Siemian, Garoppolo and Brock Osweiler are each 2-0, whereas?Drew Brees, Andrew Luck, Ryan Tannehill, Kirk Cousins and Tyrod Taylor are each 0-2.Josh Norman expressed his displeasure that he had to submit to a drug test after the Redskins game against the Cowboys. Unless he is in the substance abuse program, he would not be subject to a random urine test. Norman has never been publicly disciplined. As for random PED testing, the revised collectively bargained policy in 2014 explicitly states, The collection of blood specimens is prohibited on game days unless the players day off is scheduled for the day following a game day, in which case blood collections may occur following the conclusion of the game. The Redskins are one of an estimated six teams that designate Monday as their normal day off for games played Sunday.Big Pagano weekend in Week 3: Colts coach Chuck Pagano faces his brother John Pagano, the Chargers defensive coordinator.In a continuing effort to try to make an inherently unsafe game safer, the NFL has been inquiring with coaches and special-teams coaches about what the game would be like if it eliminated the kickoff, according to league sources. However, the league and its competition committee are not any closer to taking the play out of the game, according to sources familiar with those talks. One of the issues that has surfaced with the potential elimination of the kickoff is the subsequent loss of the onside kick, a key play that coaches prefer not to lose. So the talks about making the game safer and eliminating the kickoff will continue, but no rule change is close to being in sight.Bradfords?durability has been an issue since he injured his throwing shoulder twice in the same season?at Oklahoma in 2009. The Rams decision-makers at the time still feel they made the right choice when they made him the No. 1 pick in 2010. The Rams went from 1-15 to 7-9 in Bradfords rookie season and lost an NFC West tiebreaker to the Seahawks, who also were 7-9. Bradford was the Associated Press Rookie of the Year, with 44 of 50 first-place votes. He also played every snap that season and refused then-coach Steve Spagnuolos occasional urgings to take a seat when games were out of hand in the fourth quarter. Its a point current Vikings tight end coach Pat Shurmur, who was the Rams offensive coordinator during Bradfords rookie year, shared with the franchise before the trade.--?Adam Schefter and?Chris Mortensen Wholesale Giants Jerseys . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Giants Jerseys 2019 . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/ . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. San Francisco Giants Gear . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Giants Jerseys China .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. NEW YORK -- Mark Teixeira knew this would be difficult. Twenty seconds after he started to speak, his voice cracked.That didnt take long, did it? he said.A three-time All-Star first baseman whose career has been interrupted by injuries for much of the last five years, Teixeira announced during a tear-filled news conference Friday at Yankee Stadium that he plans to retire at the end of this season.I gave you everything I had, he said to Yankees fans during the televised announcement, then stopping for 15 seconds to regain his composure. It wasnt always enough.The 36-year-old is batting .198 with 10 homers and 27 RBI, and his 404 home runs are fifth among switch-hitters, trailing only Mickey Mantle (536), Eddie Murray (504), Chipper Jones (468) and Carlos Beltran (415).A five-time Gold Glove winner, he is in the final season of a $180 million, eight-year contract. He is most proud of reaching 30 homers and 100 RBI in eight consecutive seasons from 2004-11.As the season went on, I just kind realized that my body cant do it anymore, Teixeira said as teammates looked on. If Im going to grind through seasons not being healthy, Id rather be home with my family. Id rather do something else. And I miss my kids way too much to be in a training room in Detroit rather than being at their dance recital or their school play.When he arrived at spring training in February, Teixeira said Id love to play five more years. My body feels so good. Why not play until 40?My neck hurts almost every day. The knee thing popped up, he said. Its been a struggle for me to stay on the field consistently the last three, four years now. And so it just all kind of dawned on me that thats not in the cards.He was slowed early this season by a bulging disk in his neck and was on the disabled list from June 4-25 with a right knee cartilage tear, an injury that has caused manager Joe Girardi to schedule repeated off days since his return.Teixeira first thought about retiring after he spoke to his father in San Diego at the time of his 400th home run on July 3. He finalized his decision when talking with his family during the All-Star break.He didnt want to hide his decision when asked in the next two months about possible trades by the rebuilding Yankees or impending free agency. He anticipated breaking down as he spoke about the end of his carreer.ddddddddddddeixeiras are criers by the way, so if you dont know that yet, he said.He was taken by Texas with the fifth overall pick in the 2001 amateur draft, made his big league debut with the Rangers two years later and, hoping to emulate Baltimores Cal Ripken Jr., played in 507 consecutive games during a streak that ended in 2007. He was traded to Atlanta that July, dealt to the Los Angeles Angels the following year and signed with the Yankees in January 2009.Succeeding Don Mattingly and Tino Martinez at first, Teixeira helped New York win a World Series title in his first season. He hit .292 with 39 homers and 122 RBI and finishing second behind Minnesotas Joe Mauer in AL MVP voting.I was like, oh, Yankees win the World Series all the time. Well probably win three or four more, he thought to himself. But you realize how difficult it is.Teixeira was limited to 15 games and a .151 average in 2013 after tearing the tendon sheath in his right hand while with the U.S. team at the World Baseball Classic. He had surgery that July 1 and missed the remainder of the season, then hit .216 with 22 homers and 62 RBI the following year, when the hand was still regaining strength and he was slowed by a hamstring injury.Fully recovered, he made the All-Star team again in 2015 but fouled a pitch off his right leg Aug. 17, played two more games in pain and then found out he had fractured his shin. He finished the season with a .255 average, 31 homers and 79 RBI.Greg Bird, a 23-year-old who missed this season following shoulder surgery, is expected back for the Arizona Fall League and is projected by the Yankees as Teixeiras possible successor. Girardi anticipates Tyler Austin, who turns 24 next month, also can challenge for the job during spring training.Teixeira hosted a show on the Yankees YES Network two years ago called Four Territory. He doesnt want to think about future jobs just yet.Ill miss hitting the home run, he said. I wont miss the early workouts in spring training. I wont miss leaving my family. I wont miss being on the training table getting treatment. Im not going to miss any of that stuff. But, yeah, from 7 to 10 oclock, Ill miss that time. But that will fade eventually. ' ' '