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Vita Vea shows he’s more than just a menacing defender

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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INDIANAPOLIS — Vita Vea stepped to the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine and declared his desire to make teams aware of who he is as a player and as a person.

He did quite a job with reporters on Saturday.

Vea, a 6-foot-4, 347-pound defensive tackle, recalled tales of his time carrying the football as a running back (“I try to think I was L.T., LaDainian Tomlinson back in the day”) and his crushed quarterback dreams, and talked about the pain caused by cutting back on carbs. Vea also sarcastically called out his former teammate John Ross, telling him he was coming for Ross’ 40-yard dash record and the private island once up for grabs in 2017. Continue reading →

Bradley Chubb: I try to be Khalil Mack-Von Miller combo

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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INDIANAPOLIS — As a projected high first-round pick, Bradley Chubb knows his time in the limelight is coming in less than two months. He’s aiming for an even loftier goal once he actually joins an NFL team.

When asked Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine of who he molds his game after, Chubb selected the league’s premier edge rushers and set the bar even higher. Continue reading →

Josh Rosen: I’m not going to show teams ‘fake image of myself’

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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INDIANAPOLIS — One day after his teammates defended him in speaking to reporters, Josh Rosen took the podium.

The main takeaway? He gets it, and he isn’t about to change for anyone.

“I’m not going to present a fake image of myself,” Rosen told reporters Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “… I think that you have to be yourself, you have to be authentic and you have to show you’ve learned and grown over the years. You have to own your mistakes. That’s what I’m trying to show. Continue reading →

Ozzie Newsome knows Ravens need help at receiver

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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INDIANAPOLIS — Baltimore’s prolonged issue at receiver is nearing its fourth season, and much of it can be traced back to (but not solely blamed on) Breshad Perriman.

The Ravens chose the speedy wideout out of Central Florida with the 26th pick of the 2015 draft with the idea he’d be the ideal No. 1 receiver with high-end speed capable of stretching a field. His selection came on the heels of the free-agency departure of Torrey Smith, Baltimore’s previous go-to speedster. Everything made sense on paper. Continue reading →

Ex-UCLA teammate calls Josh Rosen ‘once-in-a-millennium’ QB

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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INDIANAPOLIS — Scott Quessenberry has blocked for Josh Rosen for two seasons at UCLA. As Rosen’s center, Quessenberry has naturally gotten to know his quarterback better than almost anyone.

He’s tired of hearing the negativity surrounding his teammate.

“I don’t know where it comes from. It drives me insane,” Quessenberry said Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine of negative perception of Rosen as a teammate and leader. “I have a really good relationship with Josh and he’ll tell you the same thing about me. We talk. For him to get the rap that he gets, I think it’s BS because of the type of guy he is and the type of stand-up human being that he is. The type of pro that he’s going to be.

“He’s a great dude, I love hanging around him and being with him and whoever gets him is extremely lucky. They’re getting a once-in-a-millennium talent in my opinion.” Continue reading →

LSU’s Derrius Guice: ‘I’m going to give your defense hell’

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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INDIANAPOLIS — Derrius Guice spent the early portion of his media availability Thursday making his case for his receiving skills, which were rarely on display during his time at LSU.

But when asked to compare himself to a current NFL player, a pitch wasn’t necessary for Guice, or those assembled around him. The answer was simple.

“Beast Mode,” Guice replied, referring to Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch. “The Skittle man.” Continue reading →

Jaguars sign Blake Bortles to 3-year, $54M contract

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The Jaguars extensions keep coming, and the latest is the biggest.

Jacksonville has signed quarterback Blake Bortles to a three-year contract, the team announced. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the contract is worth $54 million, including $26.5 million in guaranteed money. The new deal replaces Bortles’ current contract, which had one year remaining on it via the fifth-year option included in his rookie contract.

“I don’t have a whole lot of knowledge how any of this stuff works and doing all this I told Ryan [Tollner], my agent, I was like, ‘man, let’s just get it done so I can just go play football. I really would love to know and have confirmation that this is where I’m going to be, and now let’s go to work and continue to build on what we did last year and go play,'” Bortles said during a conference call to discuss the new contract. “So happy and relieved and obviously extremely excited. It’s a dream come true to be able to sign a second contract by the team that drafted me. That was one of my goals from the start. It’s exciting to get it all done and get rolling now.” Continue reading →

Jags extend Marrone, Caldwell, Coughlin through 2021

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By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Jacksonville’s leadership triumvirate produced a trip to the AFC Championship Game in its first season together, and is being rewarded for its efforts.

The Jaguars handed out contract extensions to head coach Doug Marrone, general manager Dave Caldwell and executive VP Tom Coughlin, the team announced Friday. The extensions run through 2021.

The most credit for Jacksonville’s turnaround — which took the better part of a decade — is due to Caldwell, who’s served in his current role since 2013. In that span, the Jaguars built the majority of their current roster through a combination of the draft and free agency. Caldwell constructed Jacksonville’s swarming defense with notable signings Calais Campbell, Barry Church, Malik Jackson, Tashaun Gipson and A.J. Bouye, all acquired within the last two offseasons. Continue reading →

Denzel Ward using Combine to honor late father, raise money for students

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Much like the 300-plus 2018 NFL Scouting Combine participants, Denzel Ward is spending the early months of the new year preparing for the most important workout of his life.

However, Ward’s workout has additional meaning for those who won’t touch a weight, shuffle between cones or run a single sprint in Indianapolis. The consensus No. 1 CB prospect is pledging every inch of his vertical leap to a fundraising effort to support the Paul G. Ward Jr. Scholarship Fund, established in memory of his late father to help at-risk students offset the cost of attending college.  Continue reading →