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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 Jordan Whitehead Jersey , `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, 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 Deatrich Wise Jr Jersey , 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, 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.”

—

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Orlando Scandrick was on a plane headed home for a last-minute visit with his family when the Kansas City Chiefs played the Atlanta Falcons in their second preseason game last week.

He didn’t get to see another shaky performance by their secondary until reporting to his new team.

Now the veteran cornerback who spent nearly a decade with the Dallas Cowboys and was recently cut loose by the Washington Redskins will try to help patch it up. The Chiefs signed the 31-year-old Scandrick over the weekend in the hopes he can stabilize one of their biggest areas of need.

“I’m just trying to find my way around right now. I’ve only been here a few days,” he said with a smile Monday. “I’m doing a whole lot of listening and not a lot of talking.”

Scandrick won’t have a whole lot of time to get up to speed. The Chiefs visit the Chicago Bears this weekend for their third preseason game, then have a quick turnaround before their preseason finale.

Their regular-season opener is a mere three weeks away.

“After being in the league for 10 years, there’s only so many coverages a team can run Deion Sanders Jersey , only so many philosophies,” He said. “I’m just trying to learn the terminology right now.”

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has been a bit uncertain of his defensive backfield since the start of training camp, when they had Bashaud Breeland in for an extended visit. But Veach didn’t pull the trigger on a veteran addition until signing Scandrick last week.

“You can’t have enough corners, so Brett’s kept his eyes open, brought a couple in,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “This one, he felt comfortable.”

Finances were a big part of it — the cash-strapped Chiefs would only owe him $1.5 million for the upcoming season — but so was were injuries and underwhelming performances early in camp.

The Chiefs lost Daniel Sorensen for at least the start of the season after the safety broke a bone in his shin. They are also without cornerback Steven Nelson — expected to start opposite new arrival Kendall Fuller — after he sustained a concussion in their preseason opener.

A lingering heel injury has forced Eric Berry to the sideline the past couple of weeks, and the trade of Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams this year has made a secondary that struggled last season potentially worse.

“The big thing for us is just communicating and being on the same page and at the end of the day, making plays on the ball,” said Fuller, who arrived in the trade for Alex Smith. “As a DB, the more plays on the ball that you make Justin Jones Jersey , the better the opportunity you give your team to win.”

The Chiefs hope Scandrick can help make some of those plays. They hope Berry can, too.

The perennial Pro Bowl safety missed almost all of last season with a torn Achilles tendon, but he appeared ahead of schedule in his recovery when he participated in the offseason program. Berry also was on the practice fields of Missouri Western State University for the start of training camp, which Chiefs fans took as a good omen for the upcoming season.

Then he began sitting out practices with a heel injury. And so far, the injury has caused Berry to miss enough time that many are wondering whether there is something more serious afoot.

“I just don’t want to go backward. That’s what I don’t want to do,” Reid said between Monday’s morning walk-through and an afternoon practice. “I’m OK with it. He’s far enough long. … I just have to monitor it and see where he’s at. I’m comfortable where he’s going with this thing.”

Notes: DL Allen Bailey (knee strain) and OG Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff (concussion) joined Nelson and Berry in sitting out Monday’s practice. … RB Charcandrick West participated in some of the workout for the first time in several weeks after dealing with a concussion. “He feels good. The docs say he’s OK,” Reid said. “We’re in pads today, be helpful to see him move around.”