WESTFIELD Womens Kareem Hunt Jersey , Ind. (AP) — Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III spent most of their football careers going head to head.
The two high-profile Texas prep stars were both recruited by Stanford, finished one-two in the 2011 Heisman Trophy race, went first and second in the 2012 NFL draft and were the top two vote-getters in the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year balloting.
Now, the 28-year-old quarterbacks find themselves in an odd place — rooting for each another’s comebacks.
“You know it seems like the combine was just yesterday,” Griffin said after the first of two joint practices on the final weekend of training camp.
“He’s always going to be the geeky guy and I’m always going to be the guy who wears the goofy socks.”
Maybe those sentiments sound strange coming from two guys who were supposed to join the long list of memorable rivals.
But fate, as it sometimes does, changed everything.
Instead of becoming fierce foes, Griffin and Luck developed a mutual admiration for each another’s work. They respect one another so much that Luck even took a moment during a brief stoppage at practice to jog over and give Griffin a hug.
“He’s a really good guy. He’s a Texas guy, so we have some links there,” Luck said earlier this week. “I got to know him at the Heisman and then the combine and draft. I’ve always been a big fan. Our families got to know each other a fair bit. I’m excited to see him.”
Much has changed since these two last threw passes on the same field, six years ago in one of the few highly anticipated preseason games, pitting the seemingly can’t-miss prospects.
Luck was considered the polished, establishment guy, who learned the game from his NFL-playing father, who was groomed in Stanford’s pro-style offense had a resume that resembled Peyton Manning’s.
Griffin was the flashy new guy with plenty of upside, legs that were supposed to be as difficult to stop as his arm, who could make any offense high octane and who took home four of college football’s most prized trophies in 2011.
Both began with a bang.
Luck led the Colts to the playoffs each of his first three seasons Authentic Drew Brees Jersey , made the Pro Bowl each year and helped lead the Colts one step deeper in the playoffs each successive year, culminating with an AFC championship game appearance following the 2014 season.
Griffin countered by leading the Redskins to their first playoff appearance in five years, drawing praise from President Barack Obama and making the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
Then things suddenly went awry.
Griffin sprained a ligament in his right knee in December 2012, but was cleared by doctors in time to return for the final two regular-season games and the playoff game against Seattle. During the fourth quarter of the loss to the Seahawks, Griffin’s knee gave out and he wound up needing surgery for two torn ligaments and a torn meniscus.
“I don’t think about the past because otherwise I can’t stay in the present,” Griffin said. “I’m a football player. If they tell me I can go, I’m going to go.”
He was never the same. Since starting 9-7, he is just 6-19 as a starter.
Griffin lost the starting spot in Washington three times over the next three seasons and finally signed with Cleveland in 2016, where he spent most of the season on injured reserve with a fractured bone in his left shoulder. He still holds the distinction as the most recent starting quarterback to lead the Browns to a victory on Dec. 24, 2016.
The Browns released Griffin in March 2017 — before he collected a $750,000 roster bonus — and he was out of football all of last season.
“It was hard, very hard,” Griffin said. “But the Ravens gave me an opportunity and I’m here to make the most of this opportunity.”
Luck, meanwhile, dealt with other obstacles.
He injured his right shoulder in the third game of the 2015 season, ending a starting streak of 57 consecutive games.
Luck finished his fourth pro season on injured reserve with a lacerated kidney, played through the continual pain in his right shoulder in 2016 then opted for surgery on a partially torn labrum in January 2017. The recovery cost him all of last season.
The Colts missed the playoffs all three of those years and now he’s finally back Authentic Landon Collins Jersey , looking to find his pre-surgery form.
“I know he was just hurting,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “When you miss that much football, you start questioning everything. For him to be back out here has to be a joy for him.”
Luck will continue lining up behind center for the second joint practice Saturday and likely for more than a quarter in Monday night’s game.
Griffin, meanwhile, is trying to restart his career by winning a job behind Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco and first-round draft pick and Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, meaning Griffin and Luck could be watching each other’s comebacks.
“I’m always root for quarterbacks,” Griffin said. “I really hope he (Luck) comes back and not just to the level he was before but to the level the Colts expect.”
Trumaine Johnson has a huge contract and even bigger expectations from the Jets and their fans.
That’s nothing new for New York’s newest cornerback, who has already established himself as one of the NFL’s best at his position. And he got paid as such, signing a five-year, $72.5 million deal last week that included a $20 million signing bonus and $34 million in guaranteed money.
”No pressure at all,” Johnson said Thursday during a conference call with reporters. ”I know what I can do. I know what I can bring to the game. I’ve been confident all my life. I really love winning, and I can’t wait to get started with this defense.”
Johnson spent his first six seasons with the Rams and was arguably the top cornerback available at the start of the league’s free agency period last Wednesday. He had 18 interceptions while establishing himself as one of the best cover cornerbacks in the NFL, routinely tracking opponents’ top wide receivers the last two seasons for Los Angeles.
He joins an improved and promising secondary that includes the recently re-signed Morris Claiborne, New York’s top cornerback last year, along with second-year safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye.
”On paper, it does look good, but a lot of things go along with that Jalen Ramsey Jersey Black ,” Johnson said. ”I’m just focused, right now, on getting in the building, meeting everybody else, the rest of the coaches, the strength and conditioning coaches, the staff. My main focus is winning. That’s always been my main focus. That’s my goal. I love winning and I can’t wait to get started with the New York Jets.”
After he signed, Johnson said he immediately heard from his new secondary mates as Adams, Maye and Claiborne all reached out to him to welcome him to the team.
Some fans and media have already started to wonder if Johnson and Claiborne could be the top cornerback duo in the NFL. And Johnson doesn’t shy away from that potential label.
”Why not?” Johnson asked. ”I’m going to hold him accountable and I know he’s going to hold me accountable. I can’t wait to go out there and compete with the guys.”
Johnson was a third-round pick out of Montana in 2012 and established himself as a solid starter in his second year with the Rams. His breakout season came in 2015, when he had a career-high seven interceptions. The Rams used the franchise tag on Johnson the last two offseasons, when he made $13.95 million in 2016 and $16.74 million last year.
But this offseason was the first time Johnson was able to make his own decision on where to play – and set his own terms.
”It is good to have security, finally,” he said. ”That’s what one of my main focuses has been, trying to get that long-term contract. I’m happy that the Jets took a chance on me.”
Johnson’s talents are unquestioned, and he has the confidence to match them. He didn’t hesitate when asked what he brings to his new team.
”I’m a game changer,” he said. ”I’m a playmaker. I bring leadership to the team. I’m big, I’m fast and I used to be a receiver back in college Authentic Jordan Reed Jersey , so my hands have always been a strength for me.”
With the Jets, Johnson will be reunited with secondary coach Dennard Wilson, the Rams’ defensive quality control coach from 2012-14 and Johnson’s position coach from 2015-16.
”One of the big things was to re-link with Coach Wilson,” Johnson said. ”I’ve been comfortable with him, he knows my style of play and I know his style of coaching, so that was big for me.”
Johnson is leaving a Rams team that’s on the rise and joins a franchise that is trying to get to that point. The Jets have been active in free agency this offseason and have made wholesale changes to their roster in the last year. They finished 5-11 for the second straight season, but are looking to turn things around in the near future.
The arrow, Johnson believes, is pointing up for the Jets and that helped make his decision easier.
”I’m still young, I mean, I’m 28 and my whole goal is to win a championship,” he said. ”That’s always been my goal. I’ll play this game for free. Money doesn’t really matter to me. I love winning that much. I just wanted to go somewhere that was comfortable and I’d have a chance at winning.”
The money certainly helps, of course. And, Johnson has big-time plans for his first big purchase since signing with the Jets.
”It’s going to be buying my mother a house,” Johnson said. ”I want to get her a house, man. She deserves it.”
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