Titans’ Marcus Mariota on new teammate Eric Decker: ‘He makes it easy’

After joining the Titans on a one-year deal last month, the wide receiver got his first opportunity to get on the field and work with third-year quarterback Marcus Mariota during Saturday’s opening practice of training camp.

The 58-year-old former Seahawks safety wanted to deliver a serious message for which he feels strongly.

Black lives do matter, he said. And all lives matter, too. But the carnage affecting young black men today, from random violence to police shootings across this nation, has to stop.

We’ve got to stand up as a country, as black Americans, and fight the good fight to protect our youth and our American constitutional right not to die while driving or walking the streets black in America.

It has to stop, and we can do it.

The lessons we learn in sports can help.

Easley does his part by running a youth flag football league to occupy the minds of children and keep them busy and out of trouble.

You occupy the mind, the body will follow, Easley said before his teleprompter went out to indicate his time was up, but his message was delivered and met with applause by those in attendance.

Cutler’s next contract, should he earn it, can be structured similarly to that of Alex Smith, a deal that allows the team to get out after the second year with minimal cap hit. This lies under the premise that Cutler can play well enough and stay healthy, but changing out Tannehill’s bloated deal with Cutler’s team-friendly, short-term solution could ease Miami’s 2018 cap concerns.

Plus, the Dolphins would need an established veteran to hold the fort while the team searches for a franchise quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft, one of the best classes in recent history.

Ezekiel Elliott has finally faced his demons.

After saying he expects the NFL to imminently announce its ruling, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones further elaborated by revealing the star running back has met with league officials in New York regarding his domestic violence allegation stemming from a 2016 incident.

They have had their hearing and they have had all of the responses, Jones said after Saturday’s training camp practice, via the team’s website. Everything’s in place to make a decision.

What are the strengths of Detroit’s running back-by-committee approach and what makes you optimistic that this group can help you and the Lions in 2017?

If we stay healthy we’re extremely talented. I think we were on our way to that at the beginning of last year. Ameer (Abdullah) had a great Week One, a great Week Two and then obviously had the (season-ending) injury. Theo (Riddick) did a really nice job the rest of the year with some of the other guys like Zach Zenner and Dwayne (Washington). If we can get the majority of the season with a full complement of the backs, it’s really gonna help us because they’re all really talented guys.

Why do you and your offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter have such a tight relationship?

That’s a blueprint the Cowboys have followed, flanking Elliott with Morris and Darren McFadden. The Bills spelled McCoy with Mike Gillislee. It’s also the plan whoever winds up courting Bell in 2018 should follow as well; the tailback-by-committee plan isn’t dead, but it’s changed into a much more favorable split for star runners.

Two-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Branden Albert, 32, has retired before playing a down for the Jaguars, the NFL team announced Monday morning.

After nine seasons playing in the National Football League, I have decided to retire from the game that has given me so much, Albert said, in part, in a statement. It’s been truly a blessing. I cherish all of the relationships and people I have encountered while playing in the NFL.

To commemorate the hardships they endured last season, Patriots owner Robert Kraft surprised the veteran quarterback and his family this offseason by giving Galynn a Super Bowl ring of her own.

He’s been so supportive of my family and certainly everything my mom went through and knowing first-hand how families deal with it, Brady said Friday, via ESPN. He was always asking, ‘How’s mom doing? How is she feeling?’ We didn’t know up until the very end whether she was going to make it to the Super Bowl. She was a big inspiration for me, and [Kraft] knew it. It was a great surprise to all of us when the ring showed up. She deserves it.

Brady cited personal family matters when turning down New England’s visit to the White House in April, and it was later reported he instead opted to spend time with his mother.

Tom Brady Sr. told The Boston Globe that Galynn wrapped up her cancer treatments that same month.

The Falcons will make Devonta Freeman the NFL’s highest-paid running back with a new five-year extension worth $41.25 million, the team confirmed Wednesday.

According to NFL media, Freeman will earn an annual average of $8.25 million. Currently, LeSean McCoy’s salary sits at $8 million per year, although Le’Veon Bell will make $12.12 million once he signs his franchise tender.

After a parole violation arrest warrant was issued Tuesday, Bowlen’s attorney Harvey Steinberg tried to get the warrant dismissed by claiming Bowlen was not aware his probation had begun. A Colorado judge on Friday denied the request for dismissal, the Denver Post reported.

Bowlen convicted in April of 2016 in a domestic violence case in Arapahoe County and was placed on probation for a 24-month period. When he was stopped Sunday in California for suspicion of DUI and driving over 100 mph, he failed to inform his parole officer he had even left the state.

That was just one of several parole violations, according to the Post.

Bowlen also did not report his arrest in California, had not reported to his probation officer since March 27, did not report for mandated community service, and had not enrolled in court-ordered domestic violence and drug and alcohol treatment programs.

He was released from custody in California on Monday after posting bond. The Post reported his bail in the Arapahoe County probation revocation was set at $1,287.50.

Browns tackle Joe Thomas has been selected to the Pro Bowl all 10 seasons in the NFL and is an eight-time All-Pro.

But on one play Wednesday in training camp, Browns No. 1 draft pick Myles Garrett made Thomas look remarkably average, running right around him on an edge rush to pressure quarterback Cody Kessler.

Garrett got about as easy a QB pressure as you can get and it came against a man whom NFL players voted the No. 25 best player in the league and the league’s best tackle.

Garrett later told reporters that he tried unsucessfully to bull rush Thomas once, and the veteran whispered Nice try.

Garrett appreciates the opportunity to go against Thomas.

That’s going against one of the world’s best, Garrett said (via ClevelandBrowns.com). You’re going to get better each day by doing that.

The Patriots led 28-24 when Russell Wilson’s wizardry in the pocket and Jermaine Kearse’s circus catch along the sideline brought a flood of unpleasant Super Bowl XLII and XLVI memories to the minds of every fan in New England.

Marshawn Lynch carried the ball to the 1-yard line on the very next play … and then didn’t touch the ball again. Instead, Pete Carroll’s pick-play quick-slant call ended as poorly as it could have, making Malcolm Butler, a former undrafted free agent, a household name in the process.

Just getting to that point, however, was a testament to Brady’s skill. The Patriots trailed 24-14 with less than nine minutes to play before the veteran passer pulled off an improbable comeback. Butler’s heroic effort was just the icing on the cake.

The NBA was warned. The suspense was over. It was pre-ordained for Golden State to cruise to the NBA title as soon as Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors in July.

The Warriors went 15-1 in the 2017 NBA playoffs on their way to their second title in three years. Is this the kind of postseason excitement the league seeks? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: It’s absurd that the NBA collective bargaining agreement allows players to conspire and create dominant teams.

As a longtime sports executive, I think this is a sad state of affairs in the NBA.

Iguodala was a plus-54 over the first four games, running his total plus/minus in the two Cavs-Warriors finals (six games in 2015, four in 2016) to plus-116, easily the best production of any player on either team over that span. According to NBA.com, second on that list at the time Basketball Jerseys Custom was Green, at plus-71.

It all fell apart from there, as is easily remembered. Iguodala was a minus-35 in the final three games last June. Now, the key question is, why? Did James figure out some things that helped him poke holes in Iguodala’s D? Or did Iguodala’s back injury — which came after James’ big Game 5 — just slow him down too much?

Iguodala, for his part, is taking the same approach as usual to James in this series, but, at the same time, has been watching film to identify new Cavs wrinkles.

“He’s so dynamic, he can hurt you different ways, especially with his passing ability,” Iguodala said. “They have new sets they put in because they have different personnel, how Buy Cheap Jerseys he looks for those guys. You are always trying to look for new things.”