Jason Verrett's staggering accumulation of injuries over the past several years could have shaken anyone's resolve to stick with football.
Instead
Authentic Eli Manning Jersey , the Chargers' once-dominant cornerback is determined to get his game right back to where it was two seasons ago.
Verrett participated in a full practice during Los Angeles' minicamp Wednesday for the first time since last September, when he eventually lost a
second consecutive season to a left knee injury. Verrett looked healthy and
sharp while getting to know several teammates who weren't around for his Pro
Bowl season back in San Diego in 2015.
"It's night and day different from last year," Verrett said. "I'm just happy to be able to move around. I feel solid."
Verrett tore a ligament in his knee four games into the 2016 season, ruining his chance to establish himself as an elite NFL cornerback following his
breakthrough in 2015. He made it through only the regular-season opener last
year before his knee proved too painful, eventually requiring another
surgery.
But after several months of rehabilitation, Verrett feels great and looks healthy. He's looking forward to fighting for a job in the Chargers' crowded
secondary and putting together a season that could secure his future as a free
agent next spring.
"Being out here, just seeing how deep we are at every position, it's great," Verrett said. "Especially in the defensive room, we have so many guys that can
play all over the field. Being able to get back to how I used to play, and
adding that onto what we did last year, it can be special."
Injuries have affected all of Verrett's four seasons with the Chargers, who drafted the Northern California native in 2014 out of TCU, where he famously
played his senior season with a torn labrum in his shoulder.
He played in only six games as a rookie, but made an interception in Oakland despite tearing his labrum again earlier in the game. He made the Pro Bowl in
his second season with the Chargers, missing a mere two games with injuries.
And then Verrett's knee gave out in October 2016. He never felt fully healthy last year despite the Chargers' extreme caution with him in training camp and
the preseason
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All told, Verrett has missed 39 of 64 possible regular-season games. It's a source of frustration, but Verrett also sees his experience as a well of
knowledge.
"I just think it's part of my story," Verrett said. "I dealt with so much adversity getting here, and then the fact that I dealt with a lot of injuries,
it's kept me up to date. Whenever other people are going through injuries, I
feel like I know so much. Tell them, 'Hey, work on this,' or 'Work on that.' I
just feel it's something the man above put on my plate so I'm able to be a gift
for somebody else."
Verrett isn't a taller, bulkier cornerback in the more modern mold of the position's archetype, but his speed and educated football instincts made him a
standout when healthy. Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley sees Verrett
rounding back into that form.
"Sometimes when you see a guy come back from an injury like that, it takes some time," Bradley said. "I don't see it right now. The way he's working out,
the way he's practicing, he's in a really good place right now. ... His skill
set
Authentic Derrick Henry Jersey , what he has, his speed, his athleticism, his change of direction, it is elite."
The Chargers showed their commitment to Verrett in April 2017 when they exercised his fifth-year contract option, but he returns to a roster with a
well-stocked defensive secondary.
Casey Hayward earned a Pro Bowl selection last season as Los Angeles' lockdown corner, while Trevor Williams emerged as a dependable starting corner
and Desmond King excelled as a slot corner and nickel back. Starting safety
Jahleel Addae played a major role in Verrett's recovery by hitting his teammate
with daily texts and steady encouragement.
The Chargers also used their recent first-round pick on Derwin James, who could be headed toward an immediate starting job at safety after getting major
responsibilities in offseason practices.
It's too early to say where Verrett fits into the mix, but he's determined to find a spot while he plays for his future.
"They stuck with me throughout the entire time last year," Verrett said. "Being able to come out here, make a few plays and see all the guys cheering on
and having that squad, it's helping me get through my days."
Nearly two months after the NFL surprisingly passed a rule that, as written, broadly prohibits players from lowering their helmets to initiate contact, the
eventual impact of the rule on the game remains to be seen. In part because the
precise contours of the rule remain undefined.
Bit by bit, more information regarding the new rule is emerging. On Friday
Authentic Cameron Jordan Jersey , NFL executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent answered questions on Twitter regarding the new helmet rule, and
his first few answers confirmed that the new rule will have two clear tiers of
enforcement: a 15-yard penalty and an ejection.
According to Vincent, a player “may be ejected” if he “lowers his head to establish a linear body posture prior to making contact with the head, has an
unobstructed path to his opponent, and could have avoided contact.” The video
attached to the tweet contains two examples of players making ejection-worthy
hits: the 2017 helmet impact by Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan on Packers
receiver Davante Adams and a helmet-first hit from a 2015 Monday night game by
Falcons safety William Moore on Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews.
Vincent explained that the league looked at more than 40,000 plays from the 2017 season, and that only three ejections were identified.
Separately, Vincent confirmed that, under the new helmet rule, a foul occurs “if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet
against an opponent.” Vincent demonstrates the point with video of a 2017
hit?from Chiefs safety Ron Parker on Patriots receiver Danny Amendola.
It’s far closer to a bang-bang play, but Parker definitely had a chance to not plow helmet first into Amendola. And even if that play triggers a foul but
not an ejection, it’s situation in which 15 yards will adjust based on a
maneuver that, as of last year, was legal.
Which means that, as of 2018, the new helmet rule creates two levels of infraction. For something closer to bang-bang
Womens Ezekiel Elliott Jersey , a foul will be called, akin to the penalty for hitting a defenseless receiver in the head/neck area. For something that
entails more time for the player to line up and attack with his helmet, it will
be both a penalty and an ejection.
It won’t be a penalty, as Vincent has confirmed, if the player lowers his helmet not to initiate impact but to brace for it. That could make the rule even
harder to officiate, with players colliding their helmets and a real-time
decision being made regarding whether one was initiating it and whether the
other was bracing for it.
Which brings into question, once again, the question of whether the new helmet rule will change the between-the-tackles running game, where plenty of
players routinely dip their helmets as they try to create holes, collapse
blocking plans, gain yardage, and make tackles. The league has still yet to
explain that specific wrinkle.
So, basically, there’s still a long way to go before this new rule and its implications can be fully and properly understood. The sooner everyone knows
precisely what is and isn’t allowed, the better.
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