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”I think I was more scared of him tackling me in the bathroom and not knowing what was happening than anything,” Shaquem said.

What already was the feel-good story of the NFL draft got an even better storybook ending on Saturday when the Central Florida star linebacker whose left hand was amputated when he was child was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round.

The phone call from Seattle general manager John Schneider set off a wild celebration within the Griffin family , which had gathered at a hotel in the Dallas area after Shaquem spent the first two days at the draft in Arlington, Texas Sam Huff Jersey , waiting for a phone call that never came. It was the Seahawks – the team that showed the most interest in Griffin from the start – who gave Shaquem the chance at his professional aspirations and with it a chance to be reunited with his brother.

Shaquill, who was a third-round pick by the Seahawks in 2017, became a starter in his rookie season. The brothers played together throughout their youth and at UCF before Shaquill entered the NFL a year earlier.

”I couldn’t ask for anything (else) in the world than the opportunity to be back with him,” Shaquem said.

Added Shaquill: ”I was going to be happy no matter what team that gave him the opportunity. At the end of the day that’s all I wanted for him: for a team to give him a shot and give him an opportunity and take a chance on someone that is great.”

For Seattle coach Pete Carroll what stuck out as the interview the Seahawks conducted with Griffin at the scouting combine.

”He was just so expressive and so open to tell his story and tell what this opportunity meant to him in a way that moved us all,” Carroll said. ”Just like those of you that have watched him he’s an extraordinary young man. He has a lot of messaging that he’s going to stand strong with and we’re all going to grow from I think. And aside from that he’s a really good football player.”

Griffin was the player everyone was hoping would get a shot in the NFL after being a star at UCF despite playing with just one hand. He was the American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year in 2016 and the MVP of UCF’s Peach Bowl victory against Auburn last season when the Knights went 13-0.

A groundswell of support got him an invitation to the scouting combine in Indianapolis, where he stunned onlookers by bench-pressing 225 pounds a staggering 20 times with a prosthetic left hand and then covered the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds. The performance at the combine turned Shaquem into a star, but it didn’t guarantee a team would give him a shot.

”It’s just so much. I’m extremely blessed http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/montravius-adams-jersey ,” Shaquem said. ”It definitely was a tough three days. A lot of anxiety these few days, but I am ready to get up there and go to work and start something great.”

Shaquem’s position in the NFL is still to be determined. He was a force as an outside linebacker rushing off the edge at UCF, but at 6-foot and 227 pounds with blazing speed, he could transition to being the bigger safety Carroll likes to have on his defense. Carroll said the intent is to start Griffin at weakside linebacker and let him use his speed in different areas on the field.

Griffin’s college coach Scott Frost tweeted ”About time,” after the pick was made. Seattle general manager John Schneider said there was no extra pressure felt to draft Shaquem with his brother already on the roster.

”I think the thing that stood out to me was somebody told me they had sat down with (Shaquem) for five minutes and they gained the same inspiration from him as they did the first time they were able to sit down with John Wooden,” Schneider said.

Griffin was waiting patiently in the green room through the first two days of the draft. He chose to spend the last day with his family at a nearby hotel watching. He sat through the entire fourth round without getting a call, but three picks into the fifth round the Seahawks called.

”It was up and down. The excitement Womens Robin Lehner Jersey , it’s crazy because you’re around so many great guys in that setting and you’re in the green room and you’re moving around and seeing how the anxiety is building up. Sometimes the pressure like that can break you and it is a lot of pressure,” Shaquem said. ”But I knew how it was going to go. I knew I wasn’t going to be a first-round pick or anything like that. It was me making sure I was enjoying the moment that I was here in Dallas.”

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Dolphins running back Frank Gore and Bills running back LeSean McCoy are helping each other get ready for the 2018 season, a sign that their mutual respect is greater than their rivalry now that both are in the AFC East.

McCoy posted a picture on Instagram of the two of them working out together, and captioned it by showing he considers Gore a role model.

“When you talk about greatness you talking Frank Gore,” McCoy wrote. “Learning from the best.”

Gore replied by saying McCoy is the best running back in the league.

“The best running back in the NFL Shady McCoy 10 years in still doing it,” Gore commented.

Gore is the NFL’s active leader, with 14 O. J. Simpson Jersey ,026 career rushing yards. McCoy is second (at least as long as Adrian Peterson doesn’t have a team) with 10,092 career rushing yards.

Terence Newman was hardly at risk for a bad experience.

He was able to stay on the field until just three days remained before his 40th birthday, but he never had a serious injury. After the Minnesota Vikings announced his retirement, well, he didn't even have to leave the building. Newman immediately joined the coaching staff and started analyzing film for head coach Mike Zimmer before he could even indulge in a moment of nostalgia.

"I was definitely cool with it. It was something I wanted to try eventually," said Newman, whose title is nickel/defensive backs coach. "I figured, 'When's the best time but now?' I've been in this defense. I know the players. Pretty simple."

As he discussed his decision in front of reporters at team headquarters Monday, two days after the surprise news emerged with the roster cuts to reach the 53-player limit for the regular season , Newman at one point started to cry before recomposing himself after a few seconds. Fifteen years in the league is a long time Rigoberto Sanchez Jersey , after all, and even the steeliest of personalities can be softened by a sentimental cocktail of joy, sadness and pride.

Make no mistake, though: Newman will not be wishing this season he still had a helmet.

"I've thought about what it's going to be like on the sideline and not have to hit 300-pound men," he said. "It's probably going to be different the first time, not having done it before, probably one of those things where you have to really experience it to be able to talk about it."

Though Zimmer approached Newman with the idea, the Vikings were prepared to keep him on the roster. His willingness to become an assistant, thus, allowed them to keep a younger player, like undrafted rookie cornerback Holton Hill for example Oscar Klefbom Jersey , who might have otherwise had to hit the waiver wire.

"My body felt good, but I realized that it was time for me to step away,' Newman said. "I wanted to be done and not have to worry about, 'What if I ever start a family? Will I be able to walk and play with my kids and stuff like that?'"

In an interview with The Associated Press last week, before he knew what was coming, Newman said he wasn't spending any extra time this summer savoring his NFL status given that this was already likely going to be his final season as a player. He wasn't anxious about the end coming, either.

"If you respect yourself as a person and don't want to be objectified as just a football player, I feel like you have a much easier transition once you're done because you already understand, hey, you're a person," Newman said. "Football has helped me tremendously and I've enjoyed it Youth Brandon Sutter Jersey , but I'm not a football player. I'm a human being. I'm Terence Newman first and foremost, but I happen to play football."

If an injury were to leave the Vikings short-handed at cornerback, NFL rules would prohibit them from signing Newman. No person employed by a club in any capacity other than as a player may play for any club in that same season unless he's counted on the active list at the time of the roster reduction to 53 players.

Newman's primary proteges are Mackensie Alexander, who was listed as doubtful on the injury report on Friday to play in the opener on Sunday against San Francisco, and Mike Hughes, the team's first-round draft pick.

"I know him on a personal level, so it's kind of him giving me the gems," Alexander said. "His coaching expertise is a little different than a normal coach would have, but it works and I'm loving the opportunity to be coached by him."

The sight of Newman on the practice fields, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt rather than his purple No. 23 jersey, was an odd sight. Newman said hearing his now-former teammates call him "Coach" has been strange. His status as an advice dispenser Womens Ezekiel Elliott Jersey , though, has remained unchanged.

"He's a guy I went to a lot last year and will continue to go to to ask, 'What is this corner thinking in this technique? What is he trying to take away? Where is he trying to make you go?'" wide receiver Adam Thielen said. "He's just a tremendous asset to this team, and I'm glad he's here."

The Dallas Cowboys are working out former Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins safety Jeron Johnson on Tuesday, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com.

Johnson spent five total seasons playing for Cowboys defensive passing game coordinator Kris Richard in Seattle when he served as secondary coach and defensive coordinator. He signed with Seattle as an undrafted free agent out of Boise State in 2011 and became one of the team’s core special teams pieces during their run to consecutive Super Bowl appearances. He spent a year with Washington in 2015 before returning to Seattle after a preseason spent with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Johnson did not play in the NFL last season after landing on injured reserve with the Jacksonville Jaguars late in training camp before eventually being released.

Dallas is looking for help at safety following injuries to Jameill Showers and Xavier Woods during the preseason. The team already added Dominick Sanders earlier on Monday with Johnson coming in for a look on Tuesday.

The Cowboys once pulled Jon Kitna out of a job coaching Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash. to serve as a backup quarterback to Kyle Orton in 2013 after injuries to Tony Romo. Johnson has been serving as an assistant coach at Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, Wash.

12:05 p.m.

A third Atlantic City casino is taking sports bets.

Bally's Casino started taking sports bets at 11 a.m. Monday.

Starlette Hedgepeth of Halifax Josh Bailey Jersey , North Carolina, placed the first bet, picking the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC championship.

On Wednesday http://www.officialislanders.com/authentic-adidas-adam-pelech-jersey , Harrah's Casino in Atlantic City also will begin taking sports bets. Both casinos are owned by Caesars Entertainment.

The Borgata and Ocean Resort casinos, and the Monmouth Park and Meadowlands race tracks already offer sports betting in New Jersey in the aftermath of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May that struck down a federal ban.

Two Atlantic City casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment will start taking sports bets this week, and another two in Mississippi will do so in mid-August.

Caesars Entertainment tells The Associated Press its Bally's casino in Atlantic City will start taking sports bets at 11 a.m. Monday.

Its sister casino in Atlantic City Vincent Trocheck Jersey , Harrah's will start taking sports bets on Wednesday.

The company says it soon will offer mobile sports betting, as well.

By mid-August, Harrah's Gulf Coast in Biloxi and Horseshoe Tunica Henrik Lundqvist Jersey Kids , both in Mississippi, will begin taking on-premises sports bets.

The company says it may expand the mobile betting app to other states besides New Jersey.

Bally's and Harrah's will become the third and fourth Atlantic City casinos with sports betting, joining Borgata and Ocean Resort.

The Packers personnel department saw a series of changes to kick off the offseason after Ted Thompson stepped down as General Manager.

Thompson moved to a senior advisor role with Brian Gutekunst getting bumped up from director of player personnel to the G.M. job. Longtime personnel execs Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith moved to new jobs in Cleveland and the Packers announced the new structure of their front office on Friday.

Gutekunst’s old job will now be filled by two people. Jon-Eric Sullivan and John Wojciechowksi have been promoted to co-directors of player personnel. Sullivan was the director of college scouting the last two years and Wojciechowski is making the move from director of pro personnel.

Matt Malaspina will take over Sullivan’s former job and the Packers made several other promotions in the department. They also announced the hiring of former Browns scout Pat Moore and former NFL defensive back Brandian Ross as college scouts.