鈥?Cole Beasley doesn’t need a lot of prodding to bring up how much he thinks outsiders will overlook Dallas receivers now that the Cowboys have moved on from Dez Bryant.The new dean of the group sees opportunity rather than uncertainty at a position that lacks a big name Josh Gordon Jersey Elite , and the history of big production that usually goes with it.Dallas isn’t necessarily looking for a new No. 1 receiver while also trying to replace 15-year tight end Jason Witten, who retired as the franchise leader in catches and yards. Headlined by holdovers Beasley and Terrance Williams and newcomers Allen Hurns and Tavon Austin, the Cowboys think their strength could be in numbers 鈥?and matchups.“They’re giving everybody an opportunity to do everything,” said Beasley, who is going into his seventh season. “This is the most open it’s ever been since I’ve been here as far as who’s where. That makes it a lot of fun. And it’s exciting to see what everybody can do.”The Cowboys cut Bryant , the club’s career leader with 73 touchdowns receiving, in a cost-cutting move after three subpar years under the big contract he signed after his only All-Pro season in 2014.The thing is, Bryant’s replacements are coming off subpar years as well.Beasley’s catches and yards fell by more than half from career highs in 2016. Williams didn’t have a touchdown for the first time in his five seasons, and became an off-field concern with an arrest in a public intoxication case.Hurns, a free agent addition going into his fifth season, didn’t reach 500 yards in either of his two years in Jacksonville since the only 1,000-yard season among the 12 receivers that Dallas currently plans to take to training camp late next month.Austin, a bust as the eighth overall pick in 2013 by the Rams when they were still in St. Louis Joe Namath Jets Jersey , was mostly a spectator for the most dramatic turnaround in the NFL last year. The Los Angeles Rams took the NFC West at 11-5 with the franchise’s first winning season since 2003. The Cowboys traded for him during the draft.“We’re all coming off years that we’re not so proud of,” said Hurns, who also has the only double-digit touchdown season in the group with 10 in 2015, when he had 1,031 yards. “We’ve all got that motivation to come in and do well. What people talk about, it just adds fuel to the fire. But that’s not our pure motivation.”Hurns didn’t want to overlook the rookies in a group with something to prove, and there are two to watch. Michael Gallup was the first receiver the Cowboys have drafted post-Bryant 鈥?a third-rounder out of Colorado State. Dallas took Cedrick Wilson from Boise State in the sixth round.It’s likely to be a while before practice is any indication of how the receivers might line up for the opener Sept. 9 at Carolina. For one thing, Williams wasn’t on the field during offseason practices because he broke his right foot in January and had surgery.Nearly everyone has had first-team work with quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, the only sure things at the skill positions on offense right now for the Cowboys.“There’s a big hole,” Gallup said. “There’s a lot of open space in there. It just opens your eyes if you’re a rookie, honestly. You can come in here and potentially start Day 1. That role is something that everybody wants to go get. That’s what we’re trying to do.”There’s a new coach to go with all those new receivers as well. Sanjay Lal replaced Derek Dooley as part of an overhaul of coach Jason Garrett’s staff.“I’m excited to see how it shakes out,” Lal said. “I couldn’t tell you who the six or five or however many we keep are going to be, and that’s exciting to me. And for them it should be exciting. Gives you all the motivation you need.”Prescott planned to get together with the receivers during the break between minicamp and training camp. The third-year QB envisioned a gathering away from Dallas Adidas Sidney Crosby Jersey , working out in the morning and hanging out in the afternoon.Looking for a bounce-back himself after the Cowboys missed the playoffs a year after he was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for the NFC East champs, Prescott won’t be trying to force the ball to a No. 1 receiver. That happened at times with Bryant.“I think when you come out of minicamp, you kind of see that, when you see all the different guys we’re throwing to, the different guys that are running with the ones, different guys that are running with the twos,” Prescott said. “It’s about spreading the ball around, just going to the right place with the ball.”Prescott will have plenty of motivated targets.“I think last season was a good thing for all of us,” Beasley said. “It added like a hunger to our group. A lot of people pushed us to the side this offseason and they’re sleeping on us, but that gives us a chance to prove a lot of people wrong.” Antonio Brown didn't skip out on the vast majority of the Pittsburgh Steelers organized team activities to make a statement. Or to disrespect the backup quarterbacks. Or to take a stand alongside running back Le'Veon Bell.
The All-Pro insists he simply felt more comfortable working out back home in Miami, where he could spend time with his five children and escape what he described as the "pressure" he faces from outside forces daily in Pittsburgh.
"I needed that precious time with myself to get my mind right," Brown said Tuesday as the Steelers began a mandatory three-day minicamp.
A move the 29-year-old star called necessary as he prepares for his ninth season. Brown is typically a fixture at the voluntary workouts, where he is usually among the few players in actual football pants instead of shorts.
This spring Josh Tomlin Cleveland Indians Jersey , however, he participated in the first two days and then jetted off to Florida. The fact that starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger appeared for the first day of OTAs before taking time off for what he called a planned family vacation was purely coincidental.
"I play with any quarterback, no matter who's here," Brown said. "I play with the Steelers. It's not one guy that I (catch passes from)."
Brown dismissed any insinuation that he left OTAs because he didn't want to work with the second or third string. He also expressed frustration with media for asking other players to comment on his absence.
"You guys making up stories to ask these guys stuff that they shouldn't be dealing with," Brown said. "You know, that's the pressure of being a professional athlete. Everyday scrutiny. Everyday pressure. It's hard to be free."
Brown, however, struggled to be specific about how the attention that comes with being one of the NFL's top players negatively affects him.
The only player to have five consecutive seasons with at least 100 receptions stressed he wasn't calling out Bell when he was questioned last month about Bell's decision to stay away from the team while waiting to sign his franchise tender.
"You guys paint me a picture to talk about Le'Veon," Brown said. "I'm not involved in Le'Veon's business or his contract. You guys write about it and say 'Oh, AB says to show up.' I just say 'The first rule of getting better is show up.' I didn't say he got to show up. He's got his own business."
The comments by the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver are a bit at odds with the persona he's cultivated during a career in which he has evolved from a sixth-round pick to a perennial Pro Bowler. His Instagram feed is updated multiple times a day and gives 2.4 million followers access to workouts, highlights, video of his children running track meets or artsy cuts of the multiple Rolls Royces in his driveway.
Lately, though Buccaneers Game Jerseys , the posts have taken a different turn. Last week, he called out former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians for labeling him simply as a "special teams guy" and even tweaked coach Mike Tomlin for benching him in favor of Emmanuel Sanders during his rookie season in 2010. Pressed for an explanation, Brown hinted he's tired of toeing the company line.
"I think you've got to start expressing those things that year by year that you go through to get them out of your head," Brown said. "I think the more you bottle stuff up and you're not aware of expressing yourself, that's when these players have problems."
Brown's work ethic has never been in question. As his profile has risen 鈥?he's one of the league's most marketable players and his exuberant touchdown celebrations have taken on a life of their own 鈥?he's attempted to give longer glimpses into the regimen that's made him one of the most prolific receivers of his generation. Those posts continued even as he said he wanted to create more time for himself.
"I took a moment to get my mind right from organized team activities," Brown said. "It wasn't even like serious. It's not even mandatory. It's volunteer."
Brown is no longer concerned about his stats but the number of titles he's won, which remains at zero. It's the one thing left on his career checklist and the one he feels his career will be judged by. That remains his sole focus even as he lives in a fish bowl of which he's been a willing architect.
"The game requires a lot of mental happiness and the older you get the more you start thinking about the things that are important," he said. "I've got five kids, a lot of family ... the only thing left for me to do playing the game is to win a championship. I had to take a little time to spend time with my family and see what's important for me."
.
The All-Pro insists he simply felt more comfortable working out back home in Miami, where he could spend time with his five children and escape what he described as the "pressure" he faces from outside forces daily in Pittsburgh.
"I needed that precious time with myself to get my mind right," Brown said Tuesday as the Steelers began a mandatory three-day minicamp.
A move the 29-year-old star called necessary as he prepares for his ninth season. Brown is typically a fixture at the voluntary workouts, where he is usually among the few players in actual football pants instead of shorts.
This spring Josh Tomlin Cleveland Indians Jersey , however, he participated in the first two days and then jetted off to Florida. The fact that starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger appeared for the first day of OTAs before taking time off for what he called a planned family vacation was purely coincidental.
"I play with any quarterback, no matter who's here," Brown said. "I play with the Steelers. It's not one guy that I (catch passes from)."
Brown dismissed any insinuation that he left OTAs because he didn't want to work with the second or third string. He also expressed frustration with media for asking other players to comment on his absence.
"You guys making up stories to ask these guys stuff that they shouldn't be dealing with," Brown said. "You know, that's the pressure of being a professional athlete. Everyday scrutiny. Everyday pressure. It's hard to be free."
Brown, however, struggled to be specific about how the attention that comes with being one of the NFL's top players negatively affects him.
The only player to have five consecutive seasons with at least 100 receptions stressed he wasn't calling out Bell when he was questioned last month about Bell's decision to stay away from the team while waiting to sign his franchise tender.
"You guys paint me a picture to talk about Le'Veon," Brown said. "I'm not involved in Le'Veon's business or his contract. You guys write about it and say 'Oh, AB says to show up.' I just say 'The first rule of getting better is show up.' I didn't say he got to show up. He's got his own business."
The comments by the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver are a bit at odds with the persona he's cultivated during a career in which he has evolved from a sixth-round pick to a perennial Pro Bowler. His Instagram feed is updated multiple times a day and gives 2.4 million followers access to workouts, highlights, video of his children running track meets or artsy cuts of the multiple Rolls Royces in his driveway.
Lately, though Buccaneers Game Jerseys , the posts have taken a different turn. Last week, he called out former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians for labeling him simply as a "special teams guy" and even tweaked coach Mike Tomlin for benching him in favor of Emmanuel Sanders during his rookie season in 2010. Pressed for an explanation, Brown hinted he's tired of toeing the company line.
"I think you've got to start expressing those things that year by year that you go through to get them out of your head," Brown said. "I think the more you bottle stuff up and you're not aware of expressing yourself, that's when these players have problems."
Brown's work ethic has never been in question. As his profile has risen 鈥?he's one of the league's most marketable players and his exuberant touchdown celebrations have taken on a life of their own 鈥?he's attempted to give longer glimpses into the regimen that's made him one of the most prolific receivers of his generation. Those posts continued even as he said he wanted to create more time for himself.
"I took a moment to get my mind right from organized team activities," Brown said. "It wasn't even like serious. It's not even mandatory. It's volunteer."
Brown is no longer concerned about his stats but the number of titles he's won, which remains at zero. It's the one thing left on his career checklist and the one he feels his career will be judged by. That remains his sole focus even as he lives in a fish bowl of which he's been a willing architect.
"The game requires a lot of mental happiness and the older you get the more you start thinking about the things that are important," he said. "I've got five kids, a lot of family ... the only thing left for me to do playing the game is to win a championship. I had to take a little time to spend time with my family and see what's important for me."
.
