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CLEVELAND (AP) Every day he stays committed and sober Cheap Malcolm Butler Jersey , Josh Gordon takes another step toward playing again in the NFL.

The long walk and wait are nearly over.

The wide receiver, who squandered millions in potential earnings and derailed a promising career because of substance abuse, will practice with the Browns on Wednesday for the first time in 14 months – a return that once seemed unimaginable.

Gordon was recently reinstated on a conditional basis by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being suspended for the past two seasons. So far, the enigmatic 26-year-old has fulfilled every requirement placed on him by Goodell, and on Monday he threw with Cleveland’s quarterbacks.

Gordon, who has been suspended for the Browns’ past 43 games and 53 of 58, has impressed teammates with his attitude since rejoining the team on Nov. 7. He’s been working out under the team’s guidance, and on Sunday he was on the sideline when the winless Browns lost to Jacksonville.

”First and foremost Cheap Marcus Cannon Jersey , I’m just happy for him,” guard Joel Bitonio said. ”I think he’s in a good place. You can kind of tell that he’s just mentally refreshed almost. He’s been away from the game and I think it was a little humbling for him.”

Gordon was poised to make a comeback last year, but after spending training camp with the Browns and playing in the exhibition season, he checked himself into a rehab facility.

One of the worries about Gordon is that he will relapse, but coach Hue Jackson believes the Browns have a strong support system in place to aid him inside and outside the team’s facility.

”Josh knows that we’re always available to him,” Jackson said. ”But he’s entitled to be a man and make his decisions and do the right thing, and we truly believe and support that he will. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do thus far. He’s working extremely hard. He’s excited about being back and about having the opportunity. I know every chance I get to be around him, he was on our sideline yesterday and it was a treat just dialoguing with him Cheap Mike Hughes Jersey , the things he saw, the ways he thinks he can help.

”To me, that was exciting. He’s doing well and hopefully that will continue.”

Gordon’s return is a boost for the Browns, who have gone 1-25 over the past two seasons and don’t have a playmaker close to his stature. Gordon led the league with 1,646 yards receiving and scored nine touchdowns in 2013 despite being suspended for two games.

With a dazzling blend of size, speed and strength, he was one of the league’s most dynamic wide receivers. The Browns can’t wait to see if he can get close to that level again.

”It’s like Christmas,” Jackson said. ”I’m going to open a new toy. I know what’s in that box. I just want to see how good it is.”

As long as Gordon abides by the league’s guidelines – he’s subject to random drug testing – Gordon will be eligible to play on Dec. 3 when the Browns visit the Los Angeles Chargers. Gordon hasn’t played in a regular season game since Dec. 21 Jets Thomas Rawls Jersey , 2014.

While he was in a Florida rehab facility, Gordon did all he could to stay in shape, and he’s been seen in the Browns’ weight room with the team’s strength and conditioning staff. He’s leaner than when he last played.

”From what I’ve heard from our strength staff, he’s looking in pristine shape,” Bitonio said. ”So I’m excited even to see him run a few routes on the scout team or whatever this week. The dynamic he brings to the team is something that can’t be replaced.”

The Browns need Gordon, as their receiving group has been a major disappointment. But with Gordon’s return and Corey Coleman back after missing nine weeks with a broken hand, things could change dramatically for Cleveland’s struggling offense. Coleman caught six passes for 80 yards on Sunday.

For Bitonio, there’s a bigger story with Gordon.

”I just hope he’s in a good place Cheap Pernell McPhee Jersey ,” Bitonio said. ”If he can get back on the field, that’s one of the stories of the Cleveland Browns that, hey, this guy was down in the dumps and he’s kind of risen from the ashes, so to say, and hopefully gets back out there and helps us get some wins.”

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FLOWERY BRANCH Raiders Daryl Worley Jersey , Ga. (AP) Julio Jones is still making some dynamic plays for the Atlanta Falcons.

There was his touchdown catch at New England , where he went up over Malcolm Butler in the corner of the end zone and snatched the ball away, as if to say, ”Get that weak stuff outta here!”

Not to mention a 53-yard grab against the New York Jets, when Jones breathtakingly accelerated down the middle of the field, beating two defenders with a speed of 21.13 mph (faster than any other player in Week 8, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats ) and hauled in the pass from Matt Ryan.

Even so, there’s no doubt that Jones’ numbers are down rather significantly in several key areas – most notably, touchdowns and yards per game – which has sparked a running stream of questions about his role in the Atlanta offense.

Jones doesn’t sound the least bit concerned.

”I don’t need validation from anybody,” he said Thursday, standing at his locker before practice Raiders Ryan Switzer Jersey , ”or numbers to tell me throughout the year what type of player I am.”

Jones is not having a poor season by any stretch. Projected over a full season, he’d finish with 85 receptions for 1,234 yards.

But he’s got only one TD – that catch against the Patriots in the closing minutes of an ugly 23-7 loss – and his average of 77.1 yards per game would be his lowest since 2012, after four straight seasons of producing more than 100 yards each time out.

Frankly, it’s more than a little odd to look at the NFL’s receiving stats and see Jones only fifth in yards per game – he led the league in that category the past two seasons – and way down in 20th with just 37 receptions.

A year ago, Jones had 83 receptions for 1,409 yards and six touchdowns despite missing two games with an injury.

In 2015, playing all 16 games, he turned in one of the greatest receiving seasons in NFL history: 136 catches, 1,871 yards and eight TDs.

With the Falcons (4-3) heading into a crucial NFC South game against the Carolina Panthers (5-3) Eagles Paul Worrilow Jersey , coach Dan Quinn is constantly stressing to the offense that it needs to find ways to get Jones more involved.

”We think that all the time,” Quinn said Thursday. ”He’s always a factor to me.”

Specifically, Quinn wants his best receiver to have more of an impact on third down.

”He leads our team in explosive plays by quite a bit,” the coach said. ”He hasn’t had as many opportunities on third down, so for sure that’s a part of our game that we know we can improve upon.”

Jones is not one of those diva receivers who constantly demands the ball. He has said over and over again – and he did again Thursday – that the only stat of concern to him is the won-loss record.

”If we dial the play up, I’m going to go out there and try to make the best of it,” Jones said. ”I’m very explosive down the field, but people can’t see what we see on the field. A lot of people try to take me away early on. You can’t see it. There might be one guy, but the safety’s cheating over and things like that.”

Certainly, there’s no fretting about making sure he winds up with roughly the same numbers as other years.

”I don’t look in the past,” Jones said. ”I’m a day-to-day guy. I’m in that game. I do my best in that game. After it’s over and done with Buccaneers Ronald Jones II Jersey , it’s behind me.”

While first-year coordinator Steve Sarkisian has taken much of the rap for a dip in the entire Atlanta offense, which led the league in scoring a year ago but is in the middle of the pack this season, quarterback Matt Ryan said the Falcons have always operated on the philosophy of taking what the defense gives.

Some weeks, it’s Jones’ time to shine.

Other weeks, someone else steps up.

Against the Jets, Mohamed Sanu had six catches for 74 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter that put the Falcons ahead to stay . Jones was double-covered on the play, and Ryan found the open man.

”(The ball) is going to find different guys at different times,” Ryan said. ”When the matchup calls for it, certain people are going to step up and have a big games. Last week, Mohamed Sanu had a bunch of really good opps for us and I thought played really well.”

This might be Jones’ week to shine. The Panthers have an aggressive Rams Brian Allen Jersey , gambling defense, which can lead to game-turning plays but also gives the offense chances to strike for big chunks.

Last season, Jones had 12 catches for a career-best 300 yards against Carolina.

”They know us, we know them,” he said. ”So you’ve got to take advantage of it, like we have in the past.”

If not, Jones won’t sweat it.

As long as the Falcons win, he’s good.

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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paul%20newberry

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FRISCO Cheap Dont'a Hightower Jersey , Texas (AP) Alfred Morris bristled when asked what has changed for him now that Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is serving a six-game suspension over domestic violence allegations with fading hopes for a third reprieve in court.

Presumably the top candidate to replace last year’s NFL rushing leader, Morris sternly reminded the swarm of a dozen-plus reporters that little had changed from his work week when he was Elliott’s backup.

”I mean, other than all these cameras in my face,” Morris said.

The usually affable Morris was more pointed than angry, and admittedly a little wound up since he stumbled over his words a couple of times and finally interrupted an answer to say he was just talking too fast.

After all, Morris is looking at his first start in almost two years when Kansas City (6-2) visits Dallas (4-3) on Sunday. It’s been even longer since he was the featured back in Washington.

Speaking of which, it will be quarterback Dak Prescott’s first meaningful start without Elliott since the dynamic rookies led the Cowboys to the best record in the NFC last season.

”This team was built on the run game before me or Zeke even got here,” Prescott said. ”We’ve got those running backs. Darren McFadden had a great year before Zeke even got here and we know what Alfred Morris can do. I don’t think it changes. It is how this team is built.”

Prescott said he exchanged text messages with Elliott after a federal judge in New York on Monday night turned down the NFL players’ union request for an injunction that would have let him play while the case was in the courts.

Elliott’s attorneys are seeking an emergency stay from a federal appeals court Cheap Tremaine Edmunds Jersey , but there’s no indication when the court will rule or schedule a hearing. Without another injunction, Elliott will be out until the final three games of the season, starting Dec. 17 at Oakland.

Prescott said Elliott ”obviously feels bad with the ruling coming down” but wouldn’t share his take on Elliott’s frame of mind.

”I know he is looking forward. He is moving forward,” Prescott said . ”He is going to do the best he can to have his body and his mind ready to go when he returns.”

Meantime, the Cowboys have said repeatedly through the twists and turns of the Elliott case that they are comfortable with their options.

Four years before the Prescott-Elliott pairing, Morris and Robert Griffin III shared standout rookie years with the Redskins. Morris followed that 1,613-yard season with 1,275 yards rushing in 2013 before fading from the lead role following a coaching change.

After the Cowboys let 2014 rushing leader DeMarco Murray go in free agency Cheap Shaquem Griffin Jersey , McFadden led them with 1,089 yards even though he started just 10 games in 2015.

McFadden was Elliott’s backup when he was healthy last season, but has been inactive all seven games this season in favor of Morris, who had 70 of his 105 yards this season rushing on one carry in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Dallas also has been pleased with seldom-used Rod Smith, the older brother of linebacker Jaylon Smith and a special teams contributor who also has found an occasional role on third down.

”I’ve played a lot of football in this league, Alfred has played a lot of football in this league and Rod’s done a heck of a job,” McFadden said. ”We’re just going to go out there and make a play a different way.”

Morris signed with Dallas as a free agent last year, a little less than two months before the Cowboys drafted Elliott with the fourth overall pick. By the end of last season Cheap Harold Landry Jersey , he was inactive, something he never imagined happening in his career.

So the uncertainty surrounding Elliott’s status wasn’t much different for him.

”It’s just like, `OK, you stay here and be ready. Whenever Zeke needs you, you be ready,”’ Morris said. ”That’s just my role and I have to accept that. Am I a starter? I’m definitely a starter. I would never sit here and say I’m not a starter.”

For now, Morris is the starter.

NOTES: WR Dez Bryant was added to the injury report Wednesday, listed as limited with a knee injury. … DE DeMarcus Lawrence Cheap Lawrence Guy Jersey , the NFL leader with 10+ sacks, was another add, listed as limited with a calf injury.

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NASHVILLE Cheap Dallas Goedert Jersey , Tenn. (AP) Tom Savage came in without starting wide receiver Will Fuller, then the Houston quarterback lost wide receiver Bruce Ellington early with a hamstring injury followed by tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz and receiver Braxton Miller with concussions.

Then running back Alfred Blue was forced out by a concussion.

Four offensive players gone, forcing the Texans to mix and match on the fly. Even Savage was evaluated for a concussion at halftime, though he didn’t miss a snap.

Savage turned in a gutsy performance along with the best passing game of his career Sunday, throwing for 365 yards and driving the Texans to the go-ahead touchdown. He took good care of the football – until his final throw.

Titans cornerback LeShaun Sims beat DeAndre Hopkins for an interception in the end zone with 1:02 left Cheap Tedy Bruschi Jersey , and Tennessee won 24-13.

”It was just a weird game,” Savage said. ”I’ve never been a part of something like that with that many guys out.”

The battered Texans (4-8) have lost two straight and five of six with the latest defeat close to extinguishing the last hope of reaching the playoffs for the two-time AFC South champs.

Houston coach Bill O’Brien complimented Savage for hanging in and making some nice throws. The quarterback’s best work may have come at helping running back Andre Ellington, claimed Oct. 22 off waivers from Arizona and in his first game with Houston, line up at slot receiver after the injuries.

”On every single play, Tom had to get him lined up and basically help him with what to do Cheap Mason Cole Jersey ,” O’Brien said.

”So as an example right there, I thought Tom did a great job. We have a lot of respect for Tom and he hung in there today and tried to bring us back. It just didn’t work out.”

Savage’s play of the game may have come after Jeff Allen, at left tackle after starting at right guard most of the season, was flagged for false starts three straight times to turn fourth-and-4 into fourth-and-19.

Savage slipped away from pressure up the middle and found Stephen Anderson for a 22-yard pass to keep the Texans alive.

The interception came on the very next play for Savage, who made his fifth straight start since the season-ending injury to Deshaun Watson. It was the sixth this season for Savage.

”I knew they were going to go to Hopkins Cheap Logan Paulsen Jersey , so when he broke inside the quarterback threw it outside,” Sims said. ”So I just turned around and tried to make a play on the ball.”

It was Savage’s fifth pass in the fourth quarter to Hopkins, who finished with eight catches for 80 yards. O’Brien said they called a double move on the play, which didn’t work out.

”I thought he played well,” O’Brien said. ”Tom can sling it … We had a lot of injuries today Cheap Elandon Roberts Jersey , a lot of things we had to piece together on offense and we just came up short.”

Teammates complimented Savage, who was sacked four times. The quarterback wasn’t in the mood to enjoy a game that was 105 yards better than his previous best, saying he’d rather complete only one pass in a win.

”It’s just not swinging our way right now,” Savage said.

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AP freelance writer Brian Hinchman contributed to this report.

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Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker

MIAMI GARDENS Falcons Justin Bethel Jersey , Fla. (AP) Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler is active and set to start in their Sunday night game against Oakland after missing one game because of cracked ribs.

Guard Ted Larsen is inactive despite practicing during the week for the first time since a biceps injury sidelined him in August.

Also inactive for the Dolphins are quarterback David Fales, linebacker Stephone Anthony Cheap Taron Johnson Jersey , guard Isaac Asiata, receiver Rashawn Scott and defensive tackle Vincent Taylor.

Inactive for the Raiders are quarterback Connor Cook Cheap Connor Williams Jersey , cornerbacks Gareon Conley and David Amerson, running back Jamize Olawale (hamstring) Cheap Thomas Rawls Jersey , tackles Jylan Ware and David Sharpe, and defensive lineman Jihad Ware.

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BEREA Cheap James White Jersey , Ohio (AP) Through the haze of his troubled past, Josh Gordon still sees a bright future.

Only he can save it.

Declaring himself ”clean and sober” and committed to reviving his NFL career, Gordon embarked on yet another new start with the Cleveland Browns, a team he has teased with his immense talent and deeply disappointed.

One week after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally reinstated the oft-suspended former Pro Bowl wide receiver, Gordon, who hasn’t played since the end of the 2014 season, said his long-term professional goal hasn’t changed from making an indelible mark on the game.

”Ultimately my goal is to be the best wide receiver of all time,” he said in his first media session since returning to the Browns. ”For me, that’s always been my goal, and it’s just been re-affirmed for me time and time again and now being back in the situation to do it, I plan on seeing it through.”

But before he can get back on the field Cheap Trenton Cannon Jersey , Gordon has to prove he can maintain his sobriety while earning the trust of new teammates who only know him through highlight tapes.

His body hardened by a renewed commitment to training, the 26-year-old Gordon remained mostly guarded during two interview sessions on Wednesday.

His first had to be cut short because Gordon had to be at a team meeting, so he was later brought into the facility’s media center where Gordon answered questions while standing next to black-and-white photos of Hall of Famers Otto Graham, Marion Motely and Dante Lavelli.

Once a budding superstar, Gordon has become better known for blowing his chances along with millions of dollars in the process.

But following a nearly three-year absence from the field and a recent rehab stay of more than 100 days, Gordon feels he’s finally on the right path.

”I’m in a good spot,” he said. ”I know I have the support in place outside and inside the building. My life is just in a conducive space of where I need to be for me psychologically, physically. It’s all come together. Right now at this point in my life I’m feeling well. I’m feeling great.”

After reporting to the Browns on Tuesday, Gordon met with coach Hue Jackson, who outlined his expectations for the receiver.

”I was really impressed sitting across from Josh and talking to him,” said Jackson Cheap John Kelly Jersey , who had Gordon in training camp last year before he checked into rehab. ”It was different than the time a year ago. I saw a young man who was a lot more mature, who understood exactly where he is and what he was trying to accomplish and do. We touched several different subjects, and I will keep that between me and him. I was very pleased with where Josh was.

”He looks in tremendous shape, and there is a different look in his eye. I am excited that he is here.”

Gordon is only permitted to attend team meetings and work out on his own until Nov. 20, when he can begin practicing with the Browns. As long as there are no setbacks, and Gordon remains clean, he’ll be eligible to play on Dec. 3 on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers.

In the meantime, the Browns intend to help Gordon in any way they can. Jackson said he will be monitored, but not like a child.

”It starts with him,” Jackson said. ”He is a grown man and so we are going to treat him that way, but we are going to do everything we can to support him. He knows my phone is on 24-7 Cheap Jerome Baker Jersey , and that is not just with him but with all of our players. I just think that is one of the huge keys. If you know that somebody is going to be there for you and going to help you through whatever, you have a chance of making it.

”We wish the best for him, and we want him to make it. Obviously, I think he does too this time.”

Gordon was on a trajectory to fame and fortune when he caught 87 passes for a league-leading 1,646 yards in 2013. His blend of size and speed separated Gordon from his peers and there seemed to be no limits to his potential.

Gordon, though, couldn’t escape the allure of alcohol and drugs that first seduced him in his early teens and a cycle of suspensions, rehab stays and appeals for forgiveness followed. He has broken promises, betrayed trusts and risked his life to get high.

Earlier this week, Gordon revealed in an interview with GQ magazine that he either drank or smoked marijuana before every game of his career in college and the pros. Gordon, who has been suspended for 51 of Cleveland’s past 56 games Jets Trenton Cannon Jersey , refused to detail any of his prior abuse and said all that matters is how he feels presently.

”I know I’m clean and sober,” Gordon said. ”I’m looking forward to that. I think the ceiling is very high.”

NOTES: Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas, who is out for the season following triceps surgery, coached Cleveland’s offensive linemen during practice. Jackson said he has asked Thomas to be around the team as much as possible. ”He is invited to anything we have,” Jackson said. ”He can run the meeting if he wants. As long as you give him the right information, we are all good.”

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GRETNA Buccaneers Vita Vea Jersey , La. (AP) The Latest on the trial of Ronald Gasser, on trial in the December 2016 shooting death of former NFL football player Joe McKnight (all times local):

9:10 p.m.

The trial of a man who shot former NFL player Joe McKnight has been postponed due to weather conditions.

The Jefferson Parish Courthouse will be closed due to icy weather. Jurors were seated late Tuesday and opening arguments could start Thursday.

Fifty-six-year-old Ronald Gasser is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting. His lawyers have laid the groundwork for a self-defense case Cheap Brandin Cooks Jersey , casting McKnight as the aggressor in a road rage incident.

Police said they had crossed a Mississippi River bridge in New Orleans and pulled over in neighboring Jefferson Parish, where the shooting occurred.

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10:40 a.m.

Jury selection has begun in the trial of a man who shot former NFL football player Joe McKnight to death in December of 2016.

Fifty-six-year-old Ronald Gasser is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting. His lawyers have laid the groundwork for a self-defense case Giants Patrick Omameh Jersey , casting McKnight as the aggressor in a road rage incident.

Trial began Tuesday in the New Orleans suburb of Gretna.

Police said they had crossed a Mississippi River bridge in New Orleans and pulled over in neighboring Jefferson Parish, where the shooting occurred.

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6 a.m.

The trial in a road-rage shooting that left a former NFL football player Joe McKnight dead is set to begin in a New Orleans suburb.

Fifty-six-year-old Ronald Gasser is charged with second-degree murder in the Dec. 1 Cheap Lamar Jackson Jersey , 2016, shooting of the former running back.

McKnight played college ball at Southern California before three seasons with the New York Jets and one with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Police said the confrontation took place as they were traveling over a Mississippi River bridge in New Orleans and on roads in neighboring Jefferson Parish.

Gasser’s attorneys have cast the 28-year-old McKnight as the aggressor and are expected to argue Gasser shot in self-defense.

Jury selection was set to begin Tuesday.

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The 6 a.m. item has been corrected to show that Gasser is 56.

PITTSBURGH (AP) Joe Haden spent his first few weeks in Pittsburgh trying to fit into a new locker room after spending seven seasons in Cleveland.

The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback had little trouble adjusting. Still Buccaneers Vita Vea Jersey , he couldn’t help but think something was missing.

”I haven’t felt like I’ve made too many splash plays,” Haden said. ”I felt like I’ve been doing my job, staying on top, not really getting beat. But you always, as a corner, you always want to get your hand on the ball.”

Done.

Haden kick started Pittsburgh’s second-half domination of Cincinnati with an acrobatic pick on Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to set up a field goal and the Steelers overran Cincinnati in a lopsided 29-14 victory. Pittsburgh (5-2) intercepted Dalton twice and sacked him four times over the final 30 minutes to provide some breathing room in the decidedly `meh’ AFC North.

”We still got a ways to go Bears Roquan Smith Jersey ,” Haden cautioned after the Steelers beat Cincinnati (2-4) for the eighth time in their last nine meetings.

Maybe, but perhaps not as far as it appeared after getting run over by Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette earlier this month. Pittsburgh responded by going to Kansas City to knock off the previously unbeaten Chiefs last week and spent the second half of Sunday showcasing the widening gap between themselves and the rest of the division.

Though the offense again largely had to settle for field goals – a Heinz Field record five by Chris Boswell – the way the defense played, Pittsburgh’s six-point halftime lead was never in danger. The Bengals managed just 19 yards after the break as their mini-surge following an 0-3 start came to an ugly halt.

”We didn’t play up to where we needed to today,” Cincinnati wide receiver A.J. Green said after catching just three passes for 41 yards. ”They did a great job taking me away.”

And putting the Bengals in a serious hole. The Steelers have a full two-game lead over the entire AFC North and after a two-game swing through Detroit and Indianapolis will leave Western Pennsylvania just twice over the final seven weeks.

For a team that looked like a bit of a mess after getting lit up late by the Jaguars, the Steelers certainly appear to have their swagger back. How else to explain rookie linebacker T.J. Watt’s ”Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” inspired sack dance? Watt, the younger brother of Houston defensive end J.J. Watt Eagles Paul Worrilow Jersey , broke it out after chasing Dalton down in the fourth quarter.

”We can be great,” Watt said.

For now, Pittsburgh will have to settle for pretty good.

”We’re going to be very dangerous,” middle linebacker Ryan Shazier said.

READY OR NOT

Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back Le’Veon Bell took the NFL’s relaxed celebration rules to another level with an inspired game of “Hide and Seek” after Smith-Schuster hauled in a 31-yard score in the second quarter.

Bell approached the 20-year-old Smith-Schuster with the idea a few minutes before the kickoff, and their impromptu re-enactment of a children’s game quickly went viral.

”That was us just being dramatic, creative on what we were going to do Cheap Clive Walford Jersey ,” Bell said. ”I know JuJu and he loves doing celebrations. I know he was going to be the guy to do it.”

HERE I COME

A week after getting 35 touches against the Chiefs, Bell had 38 against the Bengals. He ran it 35 times for 134 yards and added three receptions for 58 yards, including a 42-yard catch-and-run that featured Bell shoving Cincinnati’s Dre Kirkpatrick to the ground.

”That was one of my better stiff-arms of my life,” Bell said. ”I don’t know what happened or what came over me that play.”

The Steelers are 12-0 all-time when Bell has at least 25 carries, including 3-0 this season. He’s ready for more.

”How many more games do we have?” Bell said. ”No, for real how many more games do we have? Nine? At least nine.”

YOU CAN’T HIDE

The Bengals appeared to have figured out their running game during their short winning streak Lions Frank Ragnow Jersey , featuring rookie Joe Mixon more prominently. Mixon had 48 yards on seven carries in the first half on Sunday, including a 25-yard sprint that set up a touchdown.

Mixon did not carry the ball in the second half. Not once. Cincinnati had just five carries for 17 yards in the second half, relying on the pass as it fell further behind. Head coach Marvin Lewis couldn’t seem to explain the decision by offensive coordinator Bill Lazor to keep the ball out of Mixon’s hands.

”He was in there in the third quarter,” Lewis said of Mixon. ”Whatever plays are called are called.”

GONNA FIND YOU?

Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant downplayed reports that he asked for a trade earlier in the season because of his diminished role in the offense. He carried the ball for a two-yard gain on Pittsburgh’s first snap and later caught one pass for three yards. He also appeared to not see a heave down the sideline by Roethlisberger in the third quarter that could have been a big play.

Bryant appeared to vent his frustrations in a postgame exchange on Instagram , saying Smith-Schuster is a ”great talent” but added ”I just wants mine period point blank.”

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CLEVELAND (AP) Bad may not suffice anymore. Horrid hardly scratches the surface. Miserable doesn’t tell the whole story.

Embarrassing? At so many levels.

The Cleveland Browns are a complete calamity. One of the NFL’s most storied franchises has fallen so far Rams John Kelly Jersey , and the team appears so disconnected and constrained by dysfunction, that the Browns almost defy description.

For the second straight year they’ve reached the midway point of the season 0-8. They’re now 1-23 under coach Hue Jackson and a numbers-crunching front office led by Sashi Brown, whose decision to tear down a roster to its foundation has to this point proven foolish.

The three- or four- or five-year plan – the club has never publicly explained its long-term game plan- isn’t working and more change seems inevitable despite vows by owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam to be patient during a painstaking rebuilding process.

”I think we know where we are headed,” Jackson said this week, trying to put a positive spin on a negative situation.

The truth is, the Browns remain critically broken, damaged goods. They’re 88-208 since their 1999 expansion return, with a single playoff appearance that seems light years ago. They’re 19-63 since the Haslam’s $1.05 billion purchase was approved by the NFL in 2012.

A minor-league franchise in a major-league world.

But even by their low standards, this week – the Browns’ bye week – presented another stage of clumsiness and chaos for Cleveland’s woebegone franchise. Fittingly Rams Brian Allen Jersey , the shocking scenario unfolded on Halloween.

With the Browns’ perpetual search for a long-term quarterback – they’ve started 28 QBs since ’99 – stalled, they were undone by a paperwork glitch that perhaps illustrates the team’s desperation to win, and a divide between Jackson, his staff and the team’s decision makers.

One day after New England traded Jimmy Garoppolo, Tom Brady’s backup and a quarterback Jackson had coveted for months, to San Francisco for a second-round pick, the Browns, who had previous talks with the Patriots and are armed with three second-round picks in 2018, bungled a deal with Cincinnati just before Tuesday’s deadline.

The Browns reached agreement on a trade for Bengals backup AJ McCarron Rams Joseph Noteboom Jersey , sending one of their AFC North rivals a second- and third-round pick in next year’s draft. But the clubs failed to file the appropriate documentation to the league office before the 4 p.m. deadline and the transaction was nullified. In the aftermath, the Bengals insisted they followed standard procedure, while the Browns, who have executed 17 trades since April 2016, declined comment as they entered their week off.

So while the winless 49ers may have found their franchise quarterback, the Browns stood pat.

Only the Browns lose in their bye week. Orange helmets, red faces.

And whether or not they were solely culpable in the McCarron affair because of their dubious track record of busted draft picks and constant upheaval, the Browns aren’t getting the benefit of the doubt in the court of public opinion. They haven’t earned it. Two decades of losing football has destroyed any good will while eroding a passionate fan base and making them a national laughingstock.

The deadline fiasco also seems to show that Cleveland’s building is split on its present and future. One of the major goals this season was to develop rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer. But perhaps feeling pressure to show the Haslams he can win with an inexperienced team, Jackson has benched the second-round pick three times in the past four weeks.

McCarron played for Jackson while he was Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator and might have been able to win a game or two over the final eight weeks. But while Jackson fights for his job Chiefs Robert Golden Jersey , Brown, Paul DePodesta and the rest of Cleveland’s analytics-friendly front office can’t hide from monstrous misses in the draft. They’ve ignored addressing their quarterback conundrum to hoard assets they’ve yet to use wisely.

In 2016, the Browns traded the No. 2 overall pick to Philadelphia, which used it to select quarterback Carson Wentz, who has thrown 19 TD passes this season, has the Eagles at 7-1 and could be the clubhouse leader for league’s MVP.

If that wasn’t enough of a gut punch to Browns fans, after the team selected defensive end Myles Garrett first overall (he’s been a force when healthy), the team traded the No. 12 pick to Houston. The Texans chose quarterback Deshaun Watson, was keeping the Texans relevant following the season-ending injury to J.J. Watt until Watson tore up his knee on Thursday.

Those blunders Eagles Richard Rodgers Jersey , combined with the McCarron muff, could be enough to convince the Haslams they have the wrong people in charge.

Jackson isn’t absolved of blame, either, as his handling of Kizer, along with some in-game strategic moves that backfired, have put his future in jeopardy.

There’s still time to fix things – or make them worse. The Browns have eight games left to change their course.

At this point, they’re headed for another hard crash.

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FOXBOROUGH Pernell McPhee Jersey , Mass. (AP) When Patriots owner Robert Kraft was asked earlier this year how long he thought Tom Brady could continue to play quarterback in the NFL, Kraft said he could envision Brady playing into his 50s.

It was a prediction that even Brady chuckled at after celebrating his 40th birthday in August.

”He said the 50s? I don’t think I’ve even said the 50s,” Brady said. ”I’ve never thought about not playing. At least until my mid-40s, I said, so that’s a pretty good goal in and of itself, and then we’ll see when I get there.”

While the end is still be to be determined Kevin Hogan Jersey , what’s not up for debate is the faith the Patriots have in Brady as he navigates the uncertain waters of being a 40-year-old NFL quarterback.

But it also shines more of a spotlight on him as New England (6-2) eyes a return to the Super Bowl in the second half of the 2017 season.

That was crystallized with the surprise Halloween trade of Brady’s backup Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco. That followed the preseason trade of Jacoby Brissett, breaking up what Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he believed had been ”the best quarterback situation in the league” over the past 2 1/2 seasons.

New England added former Brady backup Brian Hoyer to fill the job again, but Hoyer is clearly not a succession option for the franchise whenever Brady decides to conclude his Hall of Fame career.

”I don’t know what that means,” Brady said in reaction to Garoppolo’s trade in a radio interview with Westwood One on Monday night. ”This is a week-to-week league. Things change so quickly from week to week, year to year.”

So far this season, Brady has mostly gotten the better of Father Time. Though he’s taken more hits than he did a season ago (he’s already been sacked 21 times and hit 43 times) Rams John Kelly Jersey , he has passing numbers similar to ones he put up during his MVP seasons in 2007 and 2010

Eight games into 2017, he has completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,541 yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Brady is also on track to set a new standard for 40-year-old quarterbacks. Since the 1970 merger, only three – Brett Favre, Warren Moon and Vinny Testaverde – have started at least 10 games after celebrating their 40th birthday.

Of that trio Rams Brian Allen Jersey , Favre is the only one to win at least 10 games, going 12-4 with Minnesota in 2009. He’s also the only quarterback to win a playoff game at 40.

Brady tied Peyton Manning as the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl when he did it at age 39 in February. He would sit alone in the record books if he can do it at 40.

Asked if Brady has exceeded his expectations to this point this season, Belichick said at a certain point every player’s prospects are looked at only in ”year-to-year” segments.

”So the expectations aren’t over a long period of time and a longer window like they are with a player coming into the league,” Belichick said. ”When you get players that have reached a certain point, then it’s their ability to maintain. … Trying to predict that is not something that I think is easy. It’s not something that I try to do a lot of.”

For now, at least Rams Joseph Noteboom Jersey , the Patriots seem comfortable putting their offensive fortunes in a 40-year-old signal caller that hasn’t missed a start due to injury since he sustained a knee injury in the 2008 season opener.

”In my mind this is all about this season and us trying to win,” Brady said. ”I’m trying to do the best I can do for our team, like I always do. I am going to bring it every single day like I’ve tried to do for the last 18 years.”

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Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower