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Pridružen/-a: 05.07. 2018, 10:24
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 Objavljeno: 21 Sep 2018 08:59 Naslov sporočila: BERRY’S BROTHER |
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Though Eric Wood can finally say he's retired http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/jaire-alexander-jersey , the now-former Buffalo Bills center is unaccustomed to discussing his career in the past tense.
On Monday, for example, Wood was still referring to this spring as "the offseason," while attending Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly's charitable foundation golf tournament outside of Buffalo.
"It's so funny. I find myself referring to it as the offseason and we're making travel plans that aren't slotted for just the five weeks off in the summer," Wood said, referring to the break players traditionally get between the final spring practice and the start of training camp.
"It's different for sure," he added, while discussing his retirement for the first time since being diagnosed with a career-ending neck injury in January.
"I feel great," Wood said, noting he's already dropped about 55 pounds from his 310-pound playing weight.
"The body feels good. Can't play ball, which stinks. And I miss it," he added. "There's been a lot of times this spring where I've seen pictures posted and you think, 'Well, that's my team.'
"But, it's all good."
Wood never envisioned his playing days would end so abruptly nine seasons into his NFL career Jeremy Kerley Jersey , and after signing a two-year contract extension last summer.
Instead, team doctors ruled he would never be allowed to play again after end-of-season tests revealed Wood had two disks being dangerously close to his spinal cord. Wood received the news while he was in the delivery room with his wife, and about an hour before the birth of his second child, a son.
"It was shocking," he said, noting his first reaction was to seek a second opinion. "But ultimately there was no scenario for return to play."
Wood revealed the severity of the injury during a news conference in January. He was not, however, allowed to say he was officially retiring due to contractual issues that could have prevented Wood from retaining his bonus money until the Bills finally released the 32-year-old on Thursday.
He hasn't yet laid out any future plans, though Wood will always be a Bills fan after being selected by Buffalo in the first round of the 2009 draft out of Louisville.
Wood is following the team online and in social media. He laughed over the uproar on Twitter amid reports rookie first-round draft pick Josh Allen threw an interception during practice last week.
A respected team leader, one thing Wood will miss is mentoring younger players.
He also expressed concern regarding good friend and former teammate Richie Incognito, who has had a tumultuous offseason. Incognito abruptly retired by posting a note on Twitter before the Bills granted his request to be released to potentially sign with another team weeks later.
Then, Incognito spent three days in a Florida mental hospital after he allegedly threw weights and tennis balls at gym employees and another patron and told police officers the government was spying on him two weeks ago.
"He's going through a tough time right now," Wood said. "We're praying for him, and I know he'll come out of this a good man."
On the bright side, Wood has come to terms with how his career ended and the consolation that it happened after a season in which the Bills snapped a 17-year playoff drought. His final game was a 10-3 loss to Jacksonville in an AFC wild-card playoff on Jan. 7.
"Yeah http://www.washingtonredskinsteamonline.com/rob-kelley-jersey , that playoff berth was very sweet," Wood said. "It would've been very tough my career ending and not ever making the playoffs up here."
Turns out there were enough bodies on offense for the Kansas City Chiefs to practice after all.
The Chiefs opened a three-day rookie minicamp on Saturday after selecting six defensive players in last week’s draft, though one of them – defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie – is expected to transition to offensive guard. But with 14 rookie free agents and another 43 players in for tryouts, there were plenty of bodies to make up an offensive, defensive and special teams unit.
Don’t sleep on the unknown guys, either.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid pointed out that just a few years ago, an unheralded wide receiver named Albert Wilson impressed him during the same weekend. Wilson hung around for the next phase of the offseason program, survived training camp and ultimately made the Kansas City roster.
This past offseason, Wilson signed a $24 million, three-year deal with the Miami Dolphins.
”Albert just made about $8 million,” Reid said with a smile, ”so there’s been a few. You invite them to the next phase and the next and eventually they make the roster.”
Still, it’s the draft picks that will draw the most attention this weekend.
The Chiefs didn’t have a first-round pick, so they used their initial selection on Ole Miss pass rusher Breeland Speaks in the second round. Speaks is expected to push last year’s second-round pick, Tanoh Kpassgnon Zach Miller Jersey , for playing time right out of the gate opposite standout linebacker Justin Houston.
”I did get the playbook,” Speaks said. ”My first reaction was, `I can do this.’ I looked at a few defenses we installed today and went over those and know those by heart already.”
With two third-round picks, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach continued to shore up his defense. He grabbed 315-pound run-stuffer Derrick Nnadi out of Florida State and then Clemson hybrid linebacker Dorian O’Daniel, both of whom could also factor into the starting rotation this fall.
The Chiefs were thin along the defensive front, even after signing Xavier Williams in free agency and retaining Rakeem Hunez-Roches as a restricted free agent. And with the expected departure of erstwhile pass rusher Tamba Hali, and injury woes to Dee Ford, finding another linebacker was paramount.
McKenzie, the son of Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, was also in attendance, as were fellow sixth-round pick Tremon Smith and Texas A&M safety Armani Watts, who could be the steal of the draft.
Watts dropped to the fourth round after concerns about his workouts at the combine, but the four-year starter said he had bulked up in the hopes that it would help him out. Instead, it only slowed him down and already Watts has reverted to his lean, fast playing weight.
The Chiefs are hopeful that he factors into the defense right away.
Star safety Eric Berry is returning from a season-ending Achilles tendon injury Nick Perry Jersey , and reliable safety Ron Parker was released in a cost-saving move. That leaves plenty of questions at the back of the defense.
”It’s a little bit different for those safeties,” Veach said, ”because they are like the quarterbacks of the defense where they have to line up people and make the calls and adjustments. That is no different than any safety, even if you draft them in the first round.
”Breeland is someone who we feel can come in and help us right away. Derrick, Dorian and Armani can certainly do some different things while he grows and understands the system a little bit better.”
UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS
The Chiefs signed 14 rookie free agents on Saturday, including former Kansas State wide receiver Byron Pringle. The local product left school a year early and has intriguing size at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, but he needs to showcase better hands than he did playing just down the road.
The Chiefs also signed RBs Darrell Williams and J.D. Moore from LSU; OL Ryan Hunter (Bowling Green), Jimmy Murray (Holy Cross) and Devondre Seymour (Southern Illinois); TE Blake Mack (Arkansas State); WR Elijah Marks (Northern Arizona); QB Chase Litton (Marshall); DB Arrion Springs (Oregon) and D’Montre Wade (Murray State); LBs Ben Niemann (Iowa) and Raymond Davison (California); and DT Dee Liner (Arkansas State).
BERRY’S BROTHER
The Chiefs also had 43 players on tryouts during the three-day rookie minicamp, including DB Elliott Berry. The undrafted rookie from Tennessee is the younger brother of the Chiefs’ star safety, Eric Berry.
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