Michael Floyd made it clear that he's looking for a fresh start to what's left of his once-promising NFL career.
So the St. Paul Jerome Baker Color Rush Jersey , Minnesota, native, who floundered with his hometown Vikings last season, is now working on the opposite end the Mississippi River, trying to show Sean Payton and Co. why the New Orleans Saints were right to give him a look.
"I think I still have a lot to offer. I'm only 28," the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Floyd said Thursday, after his second practice with the Saints on Thursday. "I don't think I'm too old."
Saints coach Sean Payton described the signing as relatively low risk this early in camp, when rosters are at 90 players and the club has about a month to evaluate players before trimming its roster to the regular season maximum of 53.
"I think I know what he can be," Payton said. "That's the cool thing about coaching, is when you get somebody and you feel like you can make a difference."
Receivers coach Curtis Johnson added that the Saints' style of offense "allows guys like him to be productive," whether it be blocking on the edge for the Saints' strong running game or rising up in the end zone for a Drew Brees fade pass.
"He's a very physical player. I thought he caught the ball well today," Johnson said. "So, his size and his speed can really help us."
Floyd was a prominent receiver for Arizona early in his career. He had 1 Cheap Customized Atlanta Falcons Jerseys ,041 yards and five touchdowns receiving in 2013 and no fewer than 841 yards in each of the two seasons after that. But his production 鈥?and the arc of his career 鈥?dipped considerably in 2016, a season marred by a drunken driving arrest and late-season release from the Cardinals.
New England snapped him up en route to a Super Bowl triumph that season, but Floyd's contributions to the Patriots' success were limited at best. In two regular season games, he caught four passes, including a 14-yard TD. He had one catch in New England's playoff opener 鈥攚hen he also had an interception bounce off his hands 鈥?and was scratched for the AFC title game and Super Bowl.
Last season, Floyd played in 11 games for the Vikings after serving a four-game suspension by the NFL for using a banned substance. He finished the regular season with only 10 catches for 78 yards.
In free agency, Floyd was not heavily sought after. He had a tryout with Baltimore but remained unsigned when training camps opened. He signed this week with New Orleans, which was looking to add receivers because of injuries to three young players at that position.
A handful of other teams had offered tryouts, but Floyd and his agent, Brian Murphy of Athletes First, decided to be selective about accepting such invitations.
"What we learned last year in Minnesota is that what appears to be good fit on the surface might not necessarily end up being ideal, and it's nobody's fault," Murphy told The Associated Press by phone. "We were very careful this year to pinpoint teams where we were confident Michael would have an opportunity to contribute."
Floyd said it was important to him to join a team with players he knew. The Saints roster includes linebacker Manti Teo, Floyd's former college teammate at Notre Dame. Floyd also was already acquainted with Saints running back Shane Vereen and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk Authentic Dontae Johnson Jersey , who also are represented by Athletes First.
"There's a lot of things that come into play when you're choosing to be on a team," Floyd said. "I chose Minnesota last year just because I know a whole bunch of guys on the team and I knew what they're about. And playing with (Vikings tight end) Kyle Rudolph in college, it's something that I think, in my life, that I wanted to be around guys that were close to me."
Why didn't his stint with the Vikings work out? It appeared Floyd preferred not to express any opinion about that when he smiled wryly and said, "I have no idea."
In New Orleans, Floyd said he sees "a great team, a great coach and guys that I've been knowing for a decade. It's always good to go on a team and have guys that you already know. It makes a lot of things more smooth."
Floyd also alluded to what he hopes will be a blossoming relationship with the prolific Brees.
"Having a (projected) Hall of Fame quarterback throwing you the ball 鈥?I think that makes a big difference," Floyd said.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The stakes will be high and Nationwide Arena is certain to be rocking when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit Nationwide Arena on Thursday night to face the Columbus Blue Jackets in the next-to-last game of the regular season.
The Metropolitan Division rivals are tied for second place in the standings with 96 points each. The winner will take a big step toward gaining home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
That’s a huge deal, especially for the Penguins (45-29-6) based on their record. They are 29-9-2 at home this season, the second-best mark in the NHL behind the Winnipeg Jets, and 16-20-4 on the road, the second-worst record behind the Colorado Avalanche among the teams still in playoff contention.
“You look at our track record throughout this year and years past Mason Cole Color Rush Jersey , we’ve been good on home ice and that’s where we’re comfortable,” Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin said. “Obviously, if we have win on the road we’ve shown we can do that, but home-ice is important. This upcoming game with Columbus is important for that.”
The Penguins already clinched a playoff spot, but the Blue Jackets (45-29-6) still are not officially in yet. Beating Pittsburgh for the first time this season (Columbus has lost all three games in the series, including two in shootouts) would remove all doubt.
The New Jersey Devils trail the Blue Jackets and Penguins by one point, the Philadelphia Flyers are two back and the Florida Panthers remain in the hunt, four points behind the Flyers for the second wild-card spot.
If the Penguins and Blue Jackets happen to finish with the same record after 82 games, Pittsburgh would win the tiebreaker.
“I think the biggest thing, you get a win and you’ve got one game left and you get home ice,” Columbus forward Matt Calvert said. “That’s something that we’re really focused on. That’s something we lost last year.”
The Penguins and Blue Jackets met in a first-round series last season that lasted just five games, with Pittsburgh winning three times at home.
Both teams expect a playoff-like environment in Thursday’s showdown.
“It’s an important game to both teams,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “They’re fighting for every bit as much as we’re fighting for. Any time you play divisional rivals it’s a heightened emotion. They tend to be exciting games to be a part of. It’s as close to a playoff atmosphere as you’re going to get because the stakes are so high for both teams.”
The Blue Jackets feel like they’re ready for the Penguins after rallying from a three-goal deficit for a 5-4 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. Columbus is 13-1-1 in its last 15 games and appears to be peaking at the right time.
Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella just wants his team to have fun and enjoy the moment.
“It’s Pittsburgh. Eventually, if you have an opportunity to get in (the playoffs) Luke Falk Color Rush Jersey , as we’re still trying to fight, you’re going to have to go through there,” he said. “They’re that good. Two-time Stanley Cup winner. They’re a really good team.
“Let’s play. I’m just excited for the guys that they have an opportunity to play another game that means something. When it’s Pittsburgh, there’s a little more there.”
Asked whether the Blue Jackets have earned the Penguins’ respect with their play, Columbus center Mark Letestu said, “I don’t care what they think. We regard ourselves in that way. We’ve always thought we belonged. The outside noise really doesn’t concern us.
“We feel like we’re in a good situation. It’s in our hands. We’re on home ice, against a rival. I’m excited about it. We’re going to be ready to play.”
Both teams will have plenty of skill on the ice. Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin (96), Phil Kessel (87) and Sidney Crosby (86) all rank in the top 10 in the league in points. Columbus’ Artemi Panarin set a franchise record on Tuesday with 80 points.
Also playing a prominent role for the Blue Jackets will be defensemen Seth Jones, Zach Werenski and Ian Cole, who will face his former Penguins teammates for the first time since he was acquired at the trade deadline in February.
“I would say it’ll be a playoff atmosphere,” Crosby said. “I think the two teams have played some pretty intense games over the years. With the importance of the game, the fact that we’ve been pretty closely matched all year, I think it’ll be very similar to the Washington game the other night.”
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27.08.2018 03:33
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