Grüße und Vorstellung » the right choice

COSTA MESA Womens Will Butcher Jersey , Calif. (AP) The first workout in pads during training camp usually belongs to the defense, but Los Angeles Chargers center Mike Pouncey was ready to bring his own level of physicality.

Pouncey traded blows with Chargers defensive linemen Brandon Mebane and Corey Liuget on Monday, showing a ferocity he rediscovered because of how his time in Miami ended after seven seasons.

”It just lit that fire again in me,” Pouncey said. ”I never thought I would play with anybody but the Dolphins, but once they released me, it made me want to be an even better football player. It made me want to prove everybody wrong, and I’m excited to be here. I can’t wait to help this run game out, help this football team do something special.”

Pouncey signed a two-year contract with the Chargers in March, inspired by the chance to play with one of the game’s top quarterbacks in Philip Rivers.

His time in Miami saw Pouncey working with a host of journeymen before helping first-round draft pick Ryan Tannehill transition to the NFL. Rivers is at the other end of the spectrum in terms of talent, experience and understanding of the game. It didn’t take long for Pouncey to recognize Rivers’ comprehensive mastery of the position.

”I just like that he knows everything that is going on each and every play. When we go up, he’s the guy that points out the Mike (linebacker). He knows when blitzes are coming Youth Matthew Tkachuk Jersey , so he puts us in the right protections and he gets us in and out of plays. When a bad look is there and we don’t want to run that play, he switches the play,” Pouncey said.

”To be able to play with him, I don’t take it for granted. I feel like it’s something that I lucked up into, and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”

The chance to play on a team with viable Super Bowl aspirations was just as important for Pouncey, who reached the playoffs once during his time with the Dolphins, as the Chargers are the only team in the AFC West that returns its head coach, both coordinators and starting quarterback. The professionalism displayed by his new teammates during their brief time together has convinced Pouncey the Chargers can deliver on their growing expectations.

”Every year in the league I’ve always wanted to win,” Pouncey said. ”That’s the goal every year you go into training camp is to try and win something, win the Super Bowl. For me right now, at the point in my career Womens Charlie McAvoy Jersey , I’m excited to be on a football team that has a chance. They finished top of the league in offense last year, and our defense is unbelievable, so I feel with me coming here it can only help.”

Pouncey wants to make his presence felt in the run game, where the Chargers tied for 25th after averaging 3.8 yards per carry last season. He looked up to the part in practice, creating holes for Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler. But Pouncey also felt the familiar push back from the likes of Mebane and Liuget on the interior.

Chargers defenders had been looking forward to the chance to hit again, and coach Anthony Lynn said their energy was evident.

”That’s kind of why you had to hold them back a little bit. You don’t want the excitement to go too far,” Lynn said.

The back and forth during the morning session was fine by Pouncey.

”First days of pads is always the funnest day,” Pouncey said. ”I feel we had a really good day as a football team on both sides of the football, and we can only get better from here.”

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Chuck Knox, the former NFL coach who took the Los Angeles Rams to three straight NFC championship games and also led the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills, has died. He was 86.

The Rams and Seahawks said Sunday that Knox died Saturday night.

”He established a winning culture and a legacy that will never be forgotten Brent Seabrook Jersey Kids , being the only coach to lead the Rams to five consecutive double-digit-win seasons,” the Rams said in a statement. ”The memories and accomplishments that Coach Knox left behind will continue to inspire us and Rams fans. We hold his family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

Called ”Ground Chuck,” for his run-first offenses, Knox was the NFL coach of the year in 1973, 1980 and 1984, winning the award with all three teams he coached. He went 186-147-1 during 22 seasons as an NFL head coach, including two stints with the Rams. He won five straight NFC West titles from 1973-77, and he returned in 1992 for the franchise’s final three seasons in Los Angeles before its move to St. Louis.

Hall of Fame defensive end Jack Youngblood posted a picture on Twitter thanking Knox for his trust and ”allowing us to make our way to Canton.”

”Chuck Knox was one of the most influential men in the early days of my career,” Youngblood wrote. ”Great coach and an even better man.”

Knox left the Rams in 1978 for the Buffalo Bills. After five seasons, he took over the Seahawks in 1983 and immediately led the franchise to its first playoff berth and the AFC title game. He spent nine seasons with Seattle.

”His presence projected an external toughness, but merited instantaneous respect by the genuine care and concern he held for his players Roman Josi Jersey ,” the Seahawks said in a statement. ”He was one of the great influencers not only in football, but in life.”

Knox is the only coach to be enshrined in the Seahawks ”Ring of Honor.” He was revered in Seattle for turning the young franchise into a contender in the AFC West for most of his tenure.

Current Seattle coach Pete Carroll tweeted Sunday that Knox was, ”A true Seahawks legend and a man who had a great impact on so many.”

Knox was a two-way tackle at Juniata College in his native Pennsylvania, serving as a captain on the school’s undefeated 1953 team. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Juniata. He was a high school assistant at Tyrone and then head coach at Ellwood City before moving on to Wake Forest and Kentucky.

Knox considered at one-time returning to Juniata as a history professor and was working on a master’s degree at Penn State before deciding coaching was where he should be.

”During that time, I thought what I really wanted to do was coach and not go into the academic area,” Knox told the AP in a 2005 interview. ”I know I made the right choice. It’s what I wanted to do.”

Knox entered professional football in the AFL with the New York Jets as offensive line coach in 1963, and played a key role in the recruitment of quarterback Joe Namath. He remained with the Jets until 1966, and was then offensive line coach with the Detroit Lions from 1967-1972.

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