20. DETROIT LIONS (9-7)
LAST SEASON: Raised hopes with 3-1 and 6-4 records and dashed them by losing three straight early in season and three of five toward end of year. Coach Jim
Caldwell lost job after four seasons
Arden Key Jersey Raiders , failing to make playoffs for second time in three years. Ranked last in rushing and QB Matthew Stafford was sacked 47 times behind
banged-up offensive line. WRs Marvin Jones and Golden Tate had 1,000 yards
receiving apiece and combined for 14 TDs. All-Pro CB Darius Slay led
sixth-ranked defense. All-Pro PR Jamal Agnew was pleasant surprise as
fifth-round pick.
THEY NEED: DE, OG, LB, DT, TE, RB.
THEY DON'T NEED: QB, WR, S, T, CB.
POSSIBLE FIRST PICK: DE-LB Harold Landry, Boston College; G Will Hernandez, UTEP; DT Da'Ron Payne
Bears Elite Jerseys , Alabama ; LB Rashaan Evans, Alabama; DT Maurice Hurst, Michigan; RB Derrius
Guice, LSU.
OUTLOOK: GM Bob Quinn made clear Caldwell's consecutive 9-7 records and 36 wins over four years weren't enough to keep job, raising stakes for new coach
Matt Patricia. Both former Patriots employees have freedom to lead franchise
desperately seeking success. Quinn says team can likely take best player
available because it isn't desperate for help at any position. Needs clearly at
DE with Ezekiel Ansah playing on franchise tag, and at G opposite T.J. Lang. One
void can be filled late in first round.
??Teddy Bridgewater refused to think about the possibility of never playing football again.Not when he was clutching
his mangled left leg and screaming in pain. Not during the nearly two years of
intense rehabilitation that followed.Bridgewater made it back from a gruesome
knee injury in August 2016 to throw two passes in a game late last season for
the Minnesota Vikings. Still on the comeback trail, the 25-year-old quarterback
is now with the New York Jets and eager for his next opportunity.“I’m not going
to give a percentage or anything,” Bridgewater said of his health during a
conference call Wednesday, “but I do believe that I’ll be able to perform at a
high level.”Speaking to reporters for the first time since signing a one-year
deal with the Jets, he declined to give details about the status of his knee
while simply saying, “I’m feeling good.” Bridgewater also said he’s “not
comfortable” discussing whether he thought he’d be a full participant during
organized team activities and minicamp this spring. Those conversations, he
said, have to be done first with the Jets’ coaches and trainers.“I’m very
confident
Buccaneers M.J. Stewart Jersey ,” he said of regaining his form. “I’m confident in myself, confident in the athletic training staff and the coaching
staff here, that they can eventually get me back to the player that I once was.
At the same time, we’re only in March and the only way to get better is to put
the work in now. I’m excited about this opportunity that I have to not only be a
Jet, but to work with the group of guys on this team, with the staff that’s
here.“I just can’t wait. I’m excited.”Bridgewater was a first-round draft pick
out of Louisville in 2014 and was selected to the Pro Bowl after his second
season with the Vikings. But during a practice the following summer, he suffered
a non-contact injury in which he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left
knee and dislocated the knee joint. It sidelined Bridgewater for essentially two
full seasons, other than those two passes ??one was intercepted ??he threw for
the Vikings late in a 34-7 win over Cincinnati on Dec. 17.“There was never any
doubt in my mind that I would get to that point again,” Bridgewater said. “When
I first stepped on that field for the first time last year, it was a great
feeling to just know that everything, all the hard work that I put in, all the
time and dedication that everyone who was involved in me overcoming what I
overcame, it was just a great feeling.“It was very rewarding to not only
myself
Ravens Cheap Jerseys , but everyone who was involved in everything that I went through.”Minnesota moved on
from Bridgewater this offseason, allowing him to become a free agent while
signing Kirk Cousins to a massive deal to be the Vikings’ new starting
quarterback. It was a quiet ending to what Bridgewater hopes is just the first
chapter of his NFL career.“Right now, I have to continue to just focus on the
present,” Bridgewater said. “I can’t look back. I enjoyed my time there, the
fans are awesome and everyone there was top of the line, but I have to focus on
the now and prepare myself for this upcoming season.”Bridgewater joined the Jets
because he said he liked the direction they are heading. His deal is worth $6
million, with a maximum value of $15 million with incentives, but includes just
$500,000 in guaranteed money. In essence, Bridgewater is gambling on himself to
show New York ??and other NFL teams ??that he can be at least close to the
quarterback he was before the injury.“It isn’t about proving to the people who
counted you out or doubted you,” Bridgewater said. “It’s about proving to the
people who believed in you and showing them that, hey, your prayers
Jason Sanders Jersey Elite , your belief, it all paid off.”Where Bridgewater will ultimately fit in the Jets’ plans is uncertain. They re-signed
Josh McCown, the starter last season, to a one-year deal and he’s expected to
enter the offseason program at No. 1 on the team’s depth chart. But while
Bridgewater was on the call with reporters, Jets team brass was attending USC
quarterback Sam Darnold’s pro day in Los Angeles.New York traded up from No. 6
in this year’s draft to acquire Indianapolis’ pick at third overall. That means
the Jets are likely focused on selecting one of the top quarterbacks available.
They are attending the pro day for Wyoming’s Josh Allen later this week and have
a workout scheduled with Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield on Saturday.“Being a
quarterback or just being an athlete, the ultimate competitor, as a player, I
love competition,” Bridgewater said, “because it not only makes you better but
it makes the team better.”.
