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With Eric Kendricks done, more Vikings in line for extensions

As the first domino to fall in a line of upcoming contract extensions, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks set into motion a official nfl jerseys cheap tricky test for Minnesota’s front office to keep the roster together in coming years

Kendricks was the first Viking with a contract due to expire in 2019 to receive an extension. His new deal is worth $50 million over five years with $25 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Pro Football Talk is reporting that Kendricks is to earn $15 million in Year 1, $22.5 million over the first two years, $31.5 million over three years, $40.5 million over four and $50 million over five.

Kendricks, who was to make $1.64 million this season, is now in an elite class of inside linebackers making $10 million or more per season, joining Luke Kuechly ($12.4 million), Bobby Wagner ($10.7 million) and Alec Ogletree ($10.5 million).190

The Vikings had $17.8 million in available cap space prior to Kendricks’ deal, according to the NFLPA’s daily report. With a handful of needs to be addressed in the draft next week, Minnesota shifts focus to the other prominent players scheduled to become free agents after this season: linebacker Anthony Barr, wide receiver Stefon Diggs and defensive end Danielle Hunter. The Vikings also have until May 3 to exercise the fifth-year option on cornerback Trae Waynes’ rookie deal.

Getting deals done for all four will be difficult given the Vikings’ restraints on future cap space. Kendricks’ cap figure in 2018 will be considerably higher than it was before the extension, and though it might not present any issues right now, available spending in 2019 is a completely different story.

General manager Rick Spielman has said the Vikings plan their cap out two years at a time, which is why the franchise felt it was able to give Kirk Cousins a three-year, nfl authentic jerseys fully-guaranteed deal worth $84 million. Getting creative with deals in the future will be critical as they work to keep their foundational pieces.

With one of those key defensive pieces in the fold, here’s a look at which Viking might be next to receive an extension.

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Eagles’ Carson Wentz says watching Super Bowl LII was a ‘challenge’

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz acknowledged that it was “a challenge” to watch Super Bowl LII from the sidelines, calling it a lesson in humility and faith during a media session Tuesday to mark the start of the team’s offseason training program.

One minute Wentz was a top candidate for league MVP,wholesale nfl jerseys and the next he was out with a season-ending knee injury that shifted him into a support role while his backup, Nick Foles, helped deliver the city of Philadelphia its first Lombardi Trophy.

His relationship with Foles, though, helped ease the sting, he said, and should make for a less awkward situation as Wentz takes the reins back from the Super Bowl MVP.

“You’ve got to fight that,” said Wentz, speaking about any pangs of jealousy that came with Foles’ accomplishments in his stead. “It’s human nature to want to be on that podium and be that guy. You grow up wanting to do that as a kid, but to not be able to be up there, I would not rather have anyone else be up there than Nick.”188

Wentz has been making strides in his recovery from a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee, which he suffered against the Los Angeles Rams in December. He is in the “running progression” stage of his rehab and is “feeling good with where I’m at.” The target date for his return remains Week 1 of the regular season.

Should Wentz reach that goal, Foles will return to his role as the Eagles’ No. 2 quarterback, barring a trade. He recently expressed the desire to be a starter again during an interview with a Texas ABC affiliate while also highlighting the positives of remaining with the Eagles for another season.

“We love Philly. nfl jerseys from china I know there was some stuff going around [about] a possible trade, and I would love the opportunity to be a starter again,” Foles said. “I know my spot in Philly. I think I’ve shown what I can do. I’m signed for one more year and I love the team, I love the city. I’m excited for Carson to get back on his feet. I’ll be ready to go whenever they need me. But we’ll see; just living in the moment.”

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Mauro Icardi ‘shouldn’t be happy’ with scoring 25 goals – Luciano Spalletti

Inter coach Luciano Spalletti demanded more from Mauro Icardi despite a superb performance from his player in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Cagliari.

Icardi scored his career-high 25th Serie A official nfl jerseys cheap goal of the season to boost Inter into third place as they fight for a place in the Champions League next year.

But Spalletti said he wasn’t totally satisfied, and said the 25-year-old shouldn’t be either.

“I think a player like him shouldn’t be happy,” he told Mediaset Premium. “It’s true 25 goals are a lot and he is learning to track back to tighten up the team, so he got a lot of touches.178

“Anyone who says he just has to stand there and score goals is hurting him, because if he helps out then he’ll score twice as many.

“If he just stands there, it’s easier for the defenders to mark him. If he comes back, spaces are created.”

Spalletti also called for Yann Karamoh to improve his finishing after the speedy winger missed a number of chances to score.

“He’s a very good player and when he turns on the afterburners, he leaves you in the dust,” Spalletti said.

“He’s very creative and that means collaborating with teammates is tricky, reebok nfl jerseys but he mustn’t get into bad habits. I know the crowd loves him, but it’ll help him become a better player.

“He is capable both of squirming through defenders and of going down the flanks. He does lose the ball cheaply and has to improve his finishing, but we can work on that.”

177

Accrington promoted to League One for first time in club history

John Coleman hailed a team effort as Accrington secured promotion to League One for the first time in their history with a 2-0 win over Yeovil.

On a historic day at the Wham Stadium, nfl jerseys from china a quickfire double from fans’ favourite Billy Kee sent unfancied Stanley, who have one of the lowest budgets in League Two, into the third tier.

It was Coleman’s fourth promotion in two spells with the Reds — he has led them all the way from the UniBond First Division and now into League One.

They are still going for the title but Coleman wanted to reflect on an emotional night in Lancashire.

“It’s been a tough season,” said the Stanley boss. “We lost one of our apprentices Jordan Moseley, one of our former directors John Demaine died last week and we wouldn’t be where we are now without him.177

“And it’s my late dad’s 91st birthday and you would like to think he played a part.

“You can’t help but get emotional but it’s all about the players. They were fantastic against Yeovil, it was 2-0 but it could have been 16-0 as we really turned on the style in the second half.

“The fans have come out in their numbers and I am delighted for them as well.

“The whole team, and staff, have worked so hard and we have got our rewards. We will give it a good go in League One, it is a massive achievement. It’s absolutely fantastic.”

Sean McConville, who missed out in the playoffs in 2011 and 2016 with the Reds, official nfl jerseys cheap hailed it as “the biggest achievement of my career”.

“It’s unbelievable, we have an amazing set of lads here,” said the midfielder.

“We said at the start of the season we wanted to get promotion and a lot of people might not have believed us but we certainly believed it.

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Tillman toppled in two-plus in Orioles 7-3 loss

A 2.39 ERA in nine career starts at Fenway Park meant nothing tonight. It didn’t enable Tillman to locate the plate, to lower his pitches into the strike zone, nfl authentic jerseys to gain velocity on his fastball, to properly defend himself.

Tillman faced three batters in the third inning without recording an out and was charged with six runs in the Red Sox’s 7-3 victory over the Orioles. His ERA rose to 11.91 in 11 1/3 innings and his placement in the rotation again comes under scrutiny.

The Orioles’ streak of quality starts ended at three in a row with the Red Sox still batting in the bottom of the first. J.D. Martinez lifted a sacrifice fly to score Mookie Betts, who led off with a walk, and Eduardo Nu?n?ez followed Rafael Devers double with a three-run homer over the Green Monster in left field.

Tonight marked Tillman’s shortest start since also going two-plus innings on Aug. 3, 2017 against the Tigers, when he allowed five earned runs and seven total.166

Tillman still hasn’t recorded a win since May 7, 2017, a span of 21 starts. He faced 16 batters tonight and retired six.

The 21 consecutive starts without a win is an Orioles record, according to STATS. David Hernandez is second with 16, and Jason Johnson and Jeremy Guthrie are tied for third with 15.

In Tillman’s 11 1/3 innings this season, he’s surrendered 15 runs and 22 hits and walked 10 batters with only three strikeouts for a 2.82 WHIP. His fastball mostly was 89-90 mph tonight.

Alex Cobb joins the rotation on Saturday and the Orioles must clear a roster spot for him. Mike Wright Jr. isn’t listed among the starters for the Red Sox’s series and he pitched in relief tonight, nfl authentic jerseys cheap allowing one run in 2 2/3 innings. The club could decide to option utility infielder Engelb Vielma and return to a three-man bench.

165

Jonathan Schoop Placed on DL with Oblique Injury; Orioles Recall Alex Cobb

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday.

The team announced official nfl jerseys cheap Schoop has a strained right oblique, and starting pitcher Alex Cobb was called up to take his spot on the 25-man roster.

Schoop was removed from Friday’s 7-3 loss against the Boston Red Sox in the bottom of the eighth inning. He had struck out swinging to end the top of the seventh.

He has been extremely durable in recent years, missing only two games over the previous two seasons.165

In that time, he has also developed into one of the best in the majors at his position. He finished last season leading all second basemen with 105 RBI and ranking second with 32 home runs. He also set new career highs with a .293 batting average and .841 OPS while playing above-average defense.

He not only earned his first All-Star appearance in 2017, he also ranked 12th in MVP voting.

Schoop was off to a slow start in 2018 with a .230/.266/.344 slash line and one home run in 14 games.

While Schoop has made a positive impact for the Orioles at the plate and in the field, his injury could create a giant hole in the lineup. Baltimore has other top hitters like nfl authentic jerseys Manny Machado and Adam Jones, but depth is certainly an issue.

With Schoop unavailable, the Orioles could turn to Engelb Vielma.

Cobb, who signed a four-year, $57 million contract last month, will make his first start of the season against the Red Sox on Saturday. The veteran right-hander started 29 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017, recording 12 wins, 128 strikeouts, a 3.66 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 179.1 innings.

154

Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin didn’t make the grade this season

It would have been a fitting photo to wrap up this dreadful Canadiens season, which saw them finish 28th in the overall NHL standings with a 29-40-13 record while ranking 29th in offence and 25th in defence.

It’s not Hemsky’s fault the Canadiens missed the playoffs, but he highlights the reason why they never really had a chance. After Marc Bergevin’s final “first-come, nfl jersey wholesale first-served” contract offers to free-agents Alexander Radulov and Andrei Markov last summer backfired and they both left, the GM was left scrambling to fill their spots and the best he could do was Hemsky and Mark Streit. The Canadiens also started the season $8 million below the NHL salary cap, a problem Bergevin never fixed.

Hemsky was pointless in seven games before suffering a season-ending concussion, while Streit played only two games before his contract was bought out.154

Bergevin has placed the blame for this season on a bad attitude in the locker room. If that’s true, the GM is the one most responsible for creating it. The answer to the Canadiens’ problems wasn’t in the room, as Bergevin suggested. It should have been in the GM’s office and the players probably knew that.

For that reason, Bergevin is the only one who merits an F in this season-ending Canadiens report card. Coach Claude Julien gets a C because he didn’t have enough to work with.

Brendan Gallagher (A+): The team’s best player, leading in goals (31), points (54) and heart. He never, ever gave up despite playing injured at times.

Paul Byron (A): Second straight 20-goal season for a waiver-wire pickup who matches Gallagher’s work ethic and also proves you can’t measure the size of a player’s heart.

Shea Weber (A): Deserves hockey’s version of a purple heart after fracturing his left foot in the first game and then playing 25 more games before being shut down and needing surgery. nfl jerseys cheap authentic Averaged a team-high 25:20 of ice time while constantly playing in pain.

Antti Niemi (B+): After being claimed off waivers, he found his game with help from goalie coach Stéphane Waite and posted a 7-5-4 record with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage behind a weak defence.

153

Sabres’ Kyle Okposo plans hit gym hard to revamp game

Considering everything Kyle Okposo has endured over the past year, the Sabres winger said he’s “pretty happy” looking back on his season.

Exactly one year ago, nfl authentic jerseys Okposo was hospitalized in intensive care after suffering a scary concussion. Hockey was an afterthought.

But Okposo recovered, and in 2017-18, his second season with the Sabres, the former NHL All-Star played 76 games.

“I played a full season,” Okposo said Monday as the Sabres cleaned out their lockers and held exit interviews inside KeyBank Center. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to at this time last year and I wasn’t even thinking about hockey, honestly, at this time. Then I didn’t really start until about June.”153

Starting his offseason training regimen so late hurt Okposo. He struggled early and looked a step behind, mustering just one assist in his first nine outings.

Throughout the campaign, Okposo offered critical analysis of his performance. So while he’s happy he made it through the year – he suffered another concussion in March but missed only three games – he’s not exactly thrilled with his play.

“I just need to get back to having a good summer of training,” he said.

In the modern NHL, a poor offseason of training – or, in Okposo’s case, a short one – can leave you behind.

“This summer, it’s going to be a lot more focused on my body and getting my body where it needs to be,” Okposo said. “I played through a lot of stuff this year. nfl jersey wholesale There’s reasons for that, because the training wasn’t there. I didn’t have that base, I didn’t have the mechanics.

“I felt really disjointed this year and I think it reflected in my play. So I’m just going to work, I’m going to get back to doing what I can do best. I’ll take a couple weeks here but I’m going to get right back at i

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Walter Abercrombie, Barry Redden or Marcus Allen? The Raiders chose right

Not on what position the Raiders wanted in the first round of the 1982 draft; they wanted a running back. But after their top two choices were already gone in Stanford’s personalized nfl jerseys cheap Darrin Nelson and Arizona State’s Gerald Riggs, the Raiders were at a crossroads at pick No. 10.

Some in the room wanted Baylor’s Walter Abercrombie. The name of Richmond’s Barry Redden came up. The rest? They were keen on the reigning Heisman Trophy winner from USC. Guy by the name of Marcus Allen.

Thus began the most memorable draft moment in Raiders franchise history.

Especially since Al Davis was not in the Raiders’ draft room. Rather, the iconoclast owner was in court in Los Angeles, trying to finalize things for his team’s impending move to Southern California.

“He had to come out and talk to us on a payphone,” then-Raiders coach Tom Flores said of Davis with a laugh. “He said, ‘Is that who you want? Fine.'”

His 18 total TDs in 1984 remain a single-season franchise record as are his 11 straight 100-yard rushing games in 1985 and his 22 100-yard rushing games over his career. Allen’s three 1,000-yard rushing seasons are tied with Mark van Eeghen for most such seasons in Raiders history and no Raiders rookie has rushed for more yards than Allen did with his 697 in 1982.

And after playing the final five years of his career with the rival Kansas City Chiefs, Allen is one of 25 Pro Football Hall of Famers the Raiders recognize as one of their own. Allen went into Canton in 2003 in his first year of eligibility.

“I spent 25 seasons with the Raiders,” Ron Wolf, the former Raiders personnel executive and Hall of Famer, said on that NFL Network special on Allen. “Of all the people that nfl jerseys on sale ever came through during the time that I was there somebody has to be No. 1. Marcus Allen was No. 1. He’s the best player during my time with the Raiders that I’ve ever seen.”

Good thing for all involved, then, that saner heads prevailed in that split Raiders draft room in 1982.

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Sebastian Janikowski agrees to contract with Seahawks

For the Seahawks, the move gives them another veteran kicker to compete with Jason Myers for the job that Blair Walsh held last season.

For the 40-year-old Janikowski,official nfl jerseys it’s a chance to continue his career in the Pacific Northwest after spending his first 18 seasons in Oakland. He didn’t play in 2017 because of a back injury and wasn’t re-signed when his contract expired at season’s end.

A surprise choice as the 17th overall pick in 2000, Janikowski left Oakland as the Raiders’ all-time leading scorer with 1,799 points, which ranks 11th in NFL history. He’s 10th all time in converted field goals with 414 and 12th in attempts with 515, according to Pro Football Reference. Janikowski’s powerful left leg has booted an NFL-record 55 field goals of 50 yards or longer. That includes a 63-yarder in 2011 against the Broncos in Denver, which tied what at the time was an NFL record.

He became one of the most well-known kickers in NFL history because of his on-field success as well as his atypical build (6-foot-1, 260 pounds) and his history of run-ins with the law while at Florida State and in Oakland. The most recent came in 2011, when Janikowski was charged with misdemeanor battery and false imprisonment stemming from a 2010 incident involving an alleged victim who was a female. Among his other legal scrapes was a 2002 DUI charge.

The Seahawks were in the market for a new kicker after Walsh’s lone season with the team did not go as planned. It started off well, with Walsh making 12 of his first 13 field goals, but ended disastrously when he missed seven of his final 16 kicks. Of those seven misses, six came during four losses that were decided by a touchdown or less.

Walsh’s 72.4 percent field goal rate (21 of 29) ranked 29th among qualified kickers. He’s an unrestricted free agent after playing out a one-year, $1.1 million deal with Seattle.

Coach Pete Carroll said at the scouting combine that the Seahawks would likely bring in another kicker to compete with Myers, whom they had signed to a futures contract after the season. personalized nfl jerseys cheap The 26-year-old Myers spent parts of three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who released him last October.