Panthers rookie cornerback Donte Jackson is showing he can talk the talk.
Now coach Ron Rivera is hoping the team's second-round draft pick can walk the walk.
The Louisiana State standout has already turned heads at training camp Bills Jeremy Kerley Jersey , displaying impressive speed 鈥?and a cocky swagger to match.
"He is fast, and I love his confidence level," Rivera said of the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Jackson. "We haven't had a guy like that since Josh Norman."
Norman was an All-Pro cornerback for the Panthers in 2015, the year Carolina went 17-2 and reached the Super Bowl. But he was released the following season because of a contract disagreement and signed with the Washington Redskins.
The Panthers have found one solid replacement at cornerback in James Bradberry, and are in search of another. With veteran Ross Cockrell going down with a leg injury on Monday, Jackson may be called on to fill the other starting spot.
Not surprisingly, Jackson said he's up to the task.
"Coming into the NFL I have always felt like I belonged here," Jackson said.
Panthers cornerback Kevon Seymour has seen firsthand Jackson's swagger. Seymour said when running back Christian McCaffrey was racing down the field, Jackson turned to teammates and said, "He might outrun y'all, but he ain't gonna outrun me. I'm way too fast for that. I'm like electricity. Shoooooom!'"
With that, Seymour started to laugh.
"That is how much confidence he has," Seymour said.
Back in minicamp, Jackson told reporters he's like the Beyonce song "I just woke up like this."
When Rivera heard that he broke into a wide grin.
"He is a personality," Rivera told the team's website in May. "He's got a lot of confidence. You see it on the field. You see it when you talk to him. You watch it in his gait Texans Game Jerseys , the way he carries himself. That's the type of attitude you have to have if you want to play in this league. You have to have a certain type of swagger. Josh Norman had it. He had it from Day One. You guys saw it. He struggled a little bit, but because of his swagger, he was able to bring himself back. Well, this young man's got something."
Jackson, who said he's been a talker since he played youth football, welcomes the comparisons to Norman.
"I'm not quiet out there, and I play the same position" as Norman, Jackson said. "We both talk a lot and compete at a high level so that's going to draw a lot of comparison."
Said Bradberry: "He's definitely confident in himself. I wouldn't say he's much of a trash talker. But that is the way people are going to perceive him, because he is very confident in himself. But he does talk a lot. And he's very fast."
Jackson's speed in coverage has been on display on several occasions during training camp. The 5-foot-10, 188-pound cornerback got beat by rookie wide receiver D.J. Moore on one play, but then quickly recovered and broke up the pass.
"He's not the biggest corner but he's real fast," Bradberry said.
When a reporter asked who is the fastest player on the team, Jackson responded by saying "Donte Jackson, No. 26."
And when asked if there is a player in the league he can't cover, he said, "C'mon man Joel Iyiegbuniwe Jersey Elite , you know the answer to that. I don't feel like there is anybody I can't cover."
His Twitter handle reads Donte "Action" Jackson because he says "I'm about that action, simple as that."
The Panthers sure hope so.
"It's good to see," Rivera said of Jackson's confidence level. "But remember, you have to back it up."
The Green Bay Packers' profit fell by nearly 50 percent in the last fiscal year as the team missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
President and CEO Mark Murphy said the outlook for the Packers remains strong as the NFL's only publicly owned team released its 2018 financial statement on Monday. The Packers announced a profit from operations of $34.1 million, a steep decline from $65.4 million a year earlier. Expenses soared 11.9 percent, from $376.1 million to $420.9 million, a byproduct of player salaries, coaching changes and travel costs. Revenue increased just 3.1 percent from $441.4 million to $454.9 million.
"The NFL continues to be very popular nationally," Murphy said. "There's been a lot talked about with ratings that have gone down, but, really, relative to ratings overall, the league remains very strong. The fan interest and support remain strong for both the league and us. Our strong, stable financial position has allowed us to invest in the team through contracts for players and coaches, our facility, the stadium Seahawks Elite Jerseys , the fan experience and community, and making sure the franchise stays strong for the future."
Revenue from national sources rose by 4.9 percent, due to built-in increases in the national TV package. Local revenue grew by a scant 0.8 percent. A 7-9 record - the team's first losing season since 2008 - hurt the bottom line.
"This is the first year since 2008 that we were not in the playoffs, and I think that had an impact on us," Murphy said. "We didn't have a home playoff game and some of our visitation numbers were down a little bit. We don't see that as a negative trend."
The Packers made several big changes during the offseason. Murphy picked Brian Gutekunst to replace longtime general manager Ted Thompson, and coach Mike McCarthy replaced defensive coordinator Dom Capers with Mike Pettine and offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett with Joe Philbin.
Plus, quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be back after missing half of last season with a broken collarbone. Murphy said he senses a renewed level of enthusiasm from fans, with the team kicking off its 100th season with the start of training camp on July 26.
"Certainly, having Aaron healthy is a part of that, but I think some of the changes we've made coaching staff as well as the draft and players we've added, I think people are excited for the season," Murphy said. "You add on top of that the 100 seasons, it should, knock on wood, be a good year."
RODGERS WATCH
Rodgers, who is under contract through the 2019 season Da'Ron Payne Jersey Redskins , told NBC Sports over the weekend there is "some merit" in working out a "nontraditional contractual agreement." Murphy wouldn't get into specifics but said: "Obviously, he's an important player. He wants to be here and want him to be here. When both sides have a common interest, you get deals done."
PLAYER PROTESTS
In May, league owners agreed to a policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field for the national anthem but allows them to stay in the locker room if they prefer. The NFL Players Association last week filed a grievance against the league for imposing a policy that is "inconsistent" with the collective bargaining agreement and "infringes" on player rights. Murphy said he was hopeful of a resolution.
"I've had a lot of conversations with our players," he said. "We really want to put the focus on the underlying issues and we realize our players are patriotic, they don't disrespect the flag, they don't disrespect the country. We're really looking at the underlying issues of racial discrimination, police brutality. We've had discussions with players about putting resources toward some of the causes."
NEXT CBA
Murphy said he also hopes the CBA, which will expire after the 2020 season, can be extended. He said the NFL doesn't have the guaranteed money seen in NBA contracts, though "over the last 10 years or so, a higher percentage of the players' money is guaranteed."
"To me, the best thing about our collective bargaining agreement is the rookie pay is under control. We've got a system in place that I think is working well. More of the money is going to the veterans, who deserve it and have earned it. There were times under the old agreement that the highest paid players in the league were rookies at their positions, which was crazy."