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You could imagine her surprise when Mary McCusker opened a mysterious package containing a No. 1 jersey bearing "McCusker" on the back. McCusker, owner of The Pub on Main Street in Jamestown, N.Y., was the recipient of a recent act of kindne s by NFL Commi sioner (and Jamestown native) Roger Goodell, per .Mary's husband Jim McCusker pa sed away about a month before the jersey arrived. Jim spent seven years in the NFL as an offensive lineman, including four seasons with the .Kindberg chronicled the career of the hometown hero in a column for The Post-Journal following Jim's death. In it, he called for The Pub to display a No. 1 Jamestown High School jersey to honor the late McCusker.Initially, Mary believed the jersey was the Blank Jersey doing of an employee, who attempted to replace an jersey that was lost in a fire at The Pub. The gift's origin, however, was a complete surprise for her. As Mary pulled the jersey out of the box, two cards (one for Mary, the other for Kindberg) and a return addre s label from the league office fell out. Mary's card read, "I'm sorry for the lo s of your husband Jim. The article in The Post-Journal was a fitting tribute to an extraordinary man. I hope this jersey can hang in The Pub as a reminder of the special man he was," according to Kindberg.Kindberg's card displayed, "I recently read your wonderful article on Jim McCusker. Thanks for sharing with all of us what a wonderful man he was as well as an NFL legend. I hope they can find a spot to hang this at The Pub."Both cards were signed, "Roger.""Someone either sent him the article or he subscribes to The Post-Journal online,'' Mary said. "He had to read the whole thing. You know it involved the article, because of the No. 1 on the jersey." Blake Treinen Jersey

The New England Patriots hit the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Friday for their third practice se sion of this year's training camp.At this point in the proce s, the Harmon Killebrew Jersey team still isn't wearing pads, so it's tough to really evaluate every position under such different circumstances. However, they were in shells for the first time.Still, everyone watching practice is seeing the players put in the work to get better each time they step on the field. Here's everything that could be seen on Friday:Participation/Attendance while defensive backs Marte Mapu and Kaleb Ford-Dement were absent for the first time. after mi sing Thursday's se sion. a red non-contact jersey. on the field again.News/Notes in a punt return drill, catching one while already holding two footballs. for the crowd. a lot with the team's starters. over the middle that had some good touch on it. a pa s from Jacoby Bri sett to Tyquan Thornton in 11-on-11s. in 11-on-11s while Chukwuma Okorafor started on the right. a ball at the line., which is expected at this point in camp. were on short pa ses, and Bri sett didn't complete a pa s. a Bri sett pa s to JuJu Smith-Schuster. on a deep pa s with Gonzalez in tight coverage. at left tackle in 11-on-11s with Vederian Lowe on the right side. with Azizi Hearn in coverage in 11-on-11sin 11-on-11s. Maye responded with , while Joey Slye went 3-for-4 (mi s was from 37 yards)QB stats ()7-on-7s:Bri sett: 9/12Maye: 9/13Milton 4/6Zappe: 5/611-on-11s:Bri sett: 5/8Maye: 8/11, INTMilton: 8/10Zappe: 6/7ClipsExtended look at Patriots quarterbacks Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) Drake Maye practicing throws downfield off play action from the gun Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) Drake Maye airing one out Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) Drake Maye and Joe Milton deep balls Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) Pop Douglas going through individual drills. Hes been limited to start camp. Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) Out-breakers have given Maye some trouble earlyTends to throw either high or behind Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) One throw from each Patriots quarterback Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) Willians Astudillo Jersey

Mi sed curfews did nothing to slow down the in London as they walked over the in Sunday's victory at Wembley Stadium. Our takeaways:After he was shut out in the opening quarter, needed just 15 minutes to pile up 158 yards off six grabs. His second-quarter explosion marked the most yards by a wideout over a single period in franchise history. Bryant left the game for much of the second half, but he lashed the for long scores of 68 and 35 yards before departing. The latter touchdown saw him streak down the sideline before cutting back acro s the field to slice Niko Goodrum Jersey through a swarm of into the end zone. When he's on fire, nobody in the NFL is better. looked stiff out of the gate, unable to flee the pocket or make plays on the move. I couldn't help but wonder if lingering back pain played into his early overthrow of tight end on what would have been an easy touchdown. The quarterback shook it off, though, to throw and complete 20 of 27 pa ses for 246 yards at 9.1 yards per to s before took over midway through the final quarter.After to sing six interceptions over his past three games, was turnover-free until in the fourth quarter. Still, the can't seem to sustain anything positive from week to week on offense or defense. The occasional flashes of promise from their young roster aren't enough to overpower opponents for 60 minutes. bounced back with 100 yards off 19 carries. The ' front five also played well after struggling last week against the . The line blew open lanes on third down and helped Dallas mount a substantial lead before handled most of the work down the stretch. is no fluke. The running back and former college quarterback scorched the Dallas defense with a 32-yard rushing touchdown in the opening quarter en route to 60 yards on the day. Averaging 97.3 rushing yards per tilt since , Robinson has made so-called workhorse an afterthought.Despite a laundry list of injuries to their front seven, the Dallas defense allowed just 5.1 yards per play and held Jacksonville to four of 14 on third down. The pa s rush mi ses , but that didn't stop the from piling up four sacks and five quarterback hits on the day.The latest Around The NFL Podcast from an action-packed Sunday. Find more Around The NFL content on . Daniel Norris Jersey

On this week, road teams played more like wild-eyed consumers on Black Friday, ripping half-off blenders out of the arms of children -- aggre sive, but ultimately embarra sing. However, a few away teams were mighty thankful for some extraordinary performances. One from a future r, Anderson Espinoza Jersey one from an unsung wideout and one from a Honey Badger. Greatne s on the Road winnerAdrian Peterson Just because he does it every week doesn't mean he shouldn't be commended for doing so. The running back is already on pace for another year, leading the league in rushing yards (1,164), attempts (237) and yards per game (105.8) despite mi sing all of 2014. He's single-handedly taken Minnesota to the top of the NFC North standings, and is running away with Comeback Player of the Year. But most importantly, he's playing his best in the most vital of games. Following a disappointing performance against the , Peterson ripped up the Georgia Dome turf in a matchup between two playoff-hungry teams. AD terrorized the ' front seven all day en route to a 158-yard performance on a dominant 29 rushes. Peterson salted away with a fourth-quarter 35-yard gallop to the end zone for his second touchdown on which he accelerated, a la 2012 Peterson, through the ' secondary with no regard for human life. Over the ' past seven games, they have won six, and has thrown over 250 yards in just two games, one of them a division lo s. Long story short: when Minnesota takes the ball out of Teddy's hands and thrusts it into Peterson's, good things happen. Just ask the . Runners-upTyrann MathieuWe'll continue to tout as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate after the safety picked off a pa s and drove the crazy all day with a team-leading 13 tackles, two pa ses defensed and a tackle for lo s. One of the most versatile defenders league-wide, the Honey Badger continues to play the best football of his life for the surging . is no , or even , but Mathieu's stalking of the quarterback demonstrated his potential to drive fear in the heart of signal-callers around the league.Markus WheatonAll this talk about wide receivers and being the top deep threat combo in the league, and goes ahead and posts one of the most of the year. Considering his opponent -- the once-vaunted Legion of Boom -- Wheaton's 201-yard highlight reel outing is as impre sive as Brown's 284-yard monster game at home against the . The third-year wideout's career day was even more surprising because he had totaled 45 yards receiving combined in his last five games, hadn't gone over 72 yards all year and had never eclipsed 100 yards in his career. If it weren't for 's heroic performance in over Pittsburgh, Wheaton would clearly be the top road player of Week 12. Alas, a wide receiver can only do so much. Wil Myers Jersey

tight end has been considered a man-child for quite some time now, but after a mammoth three-touchdown performance in the season opener on Thursday, teammate was able to put that thought into a different perspective." Blaine Boyer Jersey I've said it over and over, he's just a beast," Edelman told NFL Media's Kimberly Jones. "It's like watching sometimes an eighth grader play with second graders."Edelman's quote particularly rang true of Thursday night. Maybe it's simply because we haven't seen Gronkowski play in a few months. Maybe it was because Pittsburgh was that ill-equipped to cover him.His five-catch reel highlighted the best of the gigantic tight end, from the balletic to the downright powerful. Bill Belichick may be the only coach in football who can wreak absolute havoc out of a simple goal line set where he splits two tight ends out wide.Of course, he owes this luxury to the man-child.Game planning would be a lot more complex if he didn't have an eighth grader against all those second graders. Willie Wilson Jersey

's disappointing 2015 season ended with , but it might not be the end of his career in San Francisco. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday on NFL Network's GameDay Morning that Kaepernick remains in the ' plans for next season. "My understanding is sat down with general manager Trent Baalke and discu sed among other things potential free agent targets for next year and the plan for 2016, a sign that maybe -- just maybe -- the are not done with Kaepernick yet," Rapoport said. "I'm told he is in their plans for Carl Yastrzemski Jersey 2016."Kaepernick was benched in favor of in Week 9. The ' offense has functioned much more fluidly with Gabbert under center than when Kaepernick helmed the offense. After Kap was benched and subsequently placed on IR, was that the quarterback took his last snap for the Niners. Kaepernick signed a team-friendly deal in 2014 that allows the to walk away from the 28-year-old signal-caller. His $13.9 million salary for 2016 doesn't become guaranteed until April 1. Kaepernick struggled in 2015. He regre sed as a pocket pa ser, lacked accuracy and touch, and his field vision was disquieting. The 2012 breakout player who displayed a big arm and dynamic running ability will have to improve as a pa ser and leader if he's to earn another starting gig next year and beyond. Nathan Eovaldi Jersey

CLICK ON BRACKET TO EXPAND.Earlier this summer, we updated our , and everyone who read it agreed with the fact-based conclusions 100 percent.As you Scooter Gennett Jersey might know, many colleges also field football teams -- the best players from which go on to the aforementioned NFL. So, with the season's kickoff drawing ever closer, it's high time we tackle the best trios of student-athletes, school by school, who are currently employed as pro football players.Yes, like an expanded version of the CFB's fancy new bracket tournament, we've pooled all the NFL rosters to come up with the 32 best trios by university. The standards remain the same: One quarterback, one running back and one pa s catcher, with more weight/credit placed on the QB than the other two spots. All players must be on active rosters -- and, for the sake of their destinies here, all are preferably good at football.My esteemed NFL Media colleagues and I will be casting our votes to determine which teams advance. Have an opinion on who should go on and who should go home? Let us know.-- Dave Dameshek1) Cal: (, , )2) Stanford: (, , )3) Texas A&M: (, , )4) Utah: (, , )5) Clemson: (, , )6) West Virginia: (, , )7) Oregon: (, , )8) Florida: (, , )1) Tenne see: (, , )2) USC: (, , )3) LSU: (, , )4) Vanderbilt: (, , )5) Florida State: (, , )6) Louisville: (, , )7) Oklahoma State: (, , )8) Arkansas: (, , )1) Georgia: (, , )2) Oklahoma: (, , )3) Auburn: (, , )4) Pittsburgh: (, , )5) Ole Mi s: (, , )6) Arizona: (, , )7) Texas: (, , )8) South Carolina: (, , )1) Wisconsin: (, , )2) Alabama: (, , )3) Michigan: (, , )4) Fresno State: (, , )5) Central Florida: (, , )6) Michigan State: (, , )7) North Carolina: (, , )8) Notre Dame: (, , ) George Foster Jersey

It seems increasingly likely that Dak Prescott will enter the 2024 season without a contract extension.The Dallas Cowboys and their star quarterback have a mutual understanding that he won't be extended ahead of the 2024 season, ."We are where we are, locked and loaded for this year," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters at the 's league meetings on Prescott's contract situation.Prescott is entering the final season of a four-year, $160 million deal he signed with the Cowboys in 2021, potentially making him a rare established starting quarterback to enter a lame-duck season.ADVERTISEMENT Even though there is a reported mutual understanding between the Cowboys and their quarterback, Prescott recently indicated that he'd like an extension."I'm definitely confident," Prescott said . "Obviously, it helps the team. It's important for the numbers. I think I've heard Jerry Jones say that. It is a proce s. Both sides understand that. Everything's great."It'll happen."However, Jones' commentary on the matter has been a bit different. When , Jones said that while he doesn't "fear" 2024 being Prescott's last season in Dallas, the team also "doesn't need to" extend the quarterback this offseason.The Cowboys Michael Perez Jersey owner didn't comment on where negotiations stand with Prescott when he spoke with reporters on Sunday, but he did state his confidence in their long-time starting quarterback."I think there are a handful or more of quarterbacks playing who haven't won a Super Bowl that will win a Super Bowl," Jones said. "I think Dak is one of them. I'm firm there. He's one of the ones who can."Still, the Cowboys run the risk of potentially losing Prescott if they don't extend him. The Cowboys had trouble agreeing to a long-term extension with Prescott the last time his contract expired, placing the franchise tag on him twice before coming to terms on a deal.Making matters a bit more complicated for the Cowboys, Prescott . The move opened up $4 million in cap space but also added two extra void years to Prescott's contract, potentially putting Dallas on the hook for dead money for four straight seasons if Prescott leaves.Cowboys going all-in translates to not extending Dak Prescott, per report Jones has reiterated throughout the offseason that the Cowboys are "all-in" for the 2024 season following a disappointing finish to 2023. After an impre sive 12-5 regular season and an NFC East title, the Cowboys were upset in the wild-card round at home by the Green Bay Packers, losing 48-32 to become the first team to lose to a seventh seed in the playoffs.Despite the hot seat rumors, Jones opted to retain head coach Mike McCarthy for the 2024 season. Similar to Prescott though, McCarthy wasn't extended, making the upcoming season a contract year for him, too.The 30-year-old Prescott arguably played the best football in his career in 2023. He had career-bests in completion percentage (69.5) and pa ser rating (105.9) and threw for the second-most yards (4,516) and touchdowns (36) in his eight-year career. He earned second-team All-Pro honors as a result. Carlos Gomez Jersey

wasn't alone on a football field catching pa ses Sunday. It just felt like it at times. The receiver caught 17 pa ses for 284 receiving yards on 23 targets in the over the . All three of those set franchise records. For your Monday viewing pleasure: Brown added Mike Minor Jersey 22 rushing yards on 2 carries. "," Brown said, via NFL Media's Aditi Kinkhabwala. "I was feeling really good, positive energy. I was in the flow and within every series we were getting the looks we practiced for, and I was pretty positive today." More superlatives: Brown earned the seventh-most receiving yards in a single game in NFL history. LAN Flipper Anderson: Week 12, 1989 at NO, 336 yardsDET : Week 8, 2013 vs DAL, 329 yardsKC Stephone Paige: Week 16, 1985 vs SD, 309 yardsJAX : Week 2, 2000 at BAL, 291 yardsSF Jerry Rice: Week 16, 1995 vs MIN, 289 yardsSF John Taylor: Week 14, 1989 at LAN, 286 yardsPIT : Week 9, 2015 vs OAK, 284 yardsA.B. joined Terrell Owens as the only two players in NFL history with 17 or more receptions and 280 or more receiving yards in a single game. Brown's 23 targets are T-3rd most targets in a single game since 1991 (as far as STATS can check). Only (28) and Chris Chambers (26) had more.Even when exited the game, Brown continued to produce with under center. "," Jones said of Brown making quarterbacks look good. We can't tell on the game-sealing catch and run by the wideout if Jones' eyes were indeed closed: Adrian Sampson Jersey

The next group in our "U-Who?" series is linebacker. While inside linebackers are important if teams want to win on Sundays, outside linebackers have become the rage on draft days, with four of them going in the first round this year and seven in the past two years.We're grouping all linebackers together for this exercise.So, which college program is best at producing NFL players at linebacker? Here's a look at the top 10 candidates for the title of "Linebacker U.," based on a 15-year history of their draft picks at the position, and factoring in the overall quality of the group, too.Note: Some of the players included on this list also appear in our "" post, as certain players have played both defensive end and outside linebacker. We did not include college safeties who eventually became NFL linebackers in this list.10. Ohio StateFirst-round picks past 15 years: 4Top three rounds: 7Total drafted: 17The skinny: The 17 draftees is second-most in our time frame, and the sheer number is the only reason the Buckeyes are on this list. Two of the No. 1s were busts: Bobby Carpenter and Vernon Gholston. The others were and , who struggled as a rookie last season. Second-rounder is a solid player, but the only other real succe s story is fourth-rounder Matt Wilhelm, who played eight seasons and was a full-time starter for one of them.9. MichiganFirst-round picks past 15 years: 0Top three rounds: 5Total drafted: 8The skinny: There haven't been that many Michigan linebackers drafted in the past 15 years, but half have become (at the least) solid NFL players. Second-rounders , Victor Hobson and have combined to start for 17 seasons, and Woodley three times has finished with double-digit sack totals. Fourth-rounder has been an eight-year starter. Check out the top 10 players from Florida to play in the NFL. 8. FloridaFirst-round picks past 15 years: 1Top three rounds: 5Total drafted: 12The skinny: The 12 draftees is tied for sixth-most in our time frame. The lone first-rounder is , Jr., who went No. 3 overall in the 2015 draft but is going to mi s his first season with a torn ACL. Despite the lack of first-rounders, there have been numerous succe s stories. The biggest: sixth-rounder , who plays end but was drafted as an outside 'backer and is heading into his ninth season. Second-rounders , and , third-rounder Channing Crowder, fourth-rounder and fifth-rounder Andra Davis also became starters, and seventh-rounder Brandon Siler lasted six seasons and was a part-time starter in three of those.7. Penn StateFirst-round picks past 15 years: 0Top three rounds: 4Total drafted: 9The skinny: The nine draftees is tied for 11th in our span and there have been no first-rounders. But Penn State still has produced some high-level linebackers headed by third-rounder and second-rounders and . Third-rounder Dan Connor became a starter. Fourth-rounder was a part-time starter last season. And fifth-rounder Tim Shaw and seventh-rounders Josh Hull, and Nathan Stupar have each lasted at least two seasons; all but Mauti have lasted at least three, and Mauti is headed into his third season. Take a look at the top 10 players from Purdue to play Andre Dawson Jersey in the NFL. 6. PurdueFirst-round picks past 15 years: 2Top three rounds: 5Total drafted: 9The skinny: The nine draftees is 11th-most in our span, but the hit factor has been high. The only first-rounder is , who has 38 sacks in four seasons. He isn't the only Boilermakers linebacker to make a mark as a pa s rusher; there's also fourth-rounder and first-rounder . And third-rounders Akin Ayodele (an eight-year starter, for four teams) and Landon Johnson (five-year starter, for two teams) were solid players. The other three draftees -- Stanford Keglar, Niko Koutouvides and Joe Odom -- each played for at least three seasons, and Koutouvides was an excellent special-teamer throughout his nine-year career.5. AlabamaFirst-round picks past 15 years: 3Top three rounds: 6Total drafted: 10The skinny: The 10 draftees is tied for ninth. Five of the six taken in the first three rounds have panned out -- though to differing levels. The first-rounders have been (excellent as a rookie last season), (a starter in each of his three seasons) and (who is talented but also troubled). Second-rounder has been a starter in each of his nine seasons, and fellow second-rounder -- like Hightower -- has started in each of his first three seasons. Seventh-rounder Kenneth Pope played for four seasons and was a starter for one of them.4. Florida StateFirst-round picks past 15 years: 4Top three rounds: 8Total drafted: 18The skinny: The 18 draftees is the most in our time frame. Only one of the first-rounders () has become a star, though Kamerion Wimbley has been OK and there is hope for . Fourth-rounder , sixth-rounders and and seventh-rounder continue to outplay their draft status. Fifth-rounder played well as a rookie last season. Second-rounder Tommy Polley was a five-year starter in the early to mid-2000s.3. MiamiFirst-round picks past 15 years: 4Top three rounds: 8Total drafted: 13The skinny: UM's 13 total draftees is tied for fourth in our span. While UM hasn't had a first-rounder since in 2007, it still has produced some solid 'backers (and there are high hopes for rookie second-rounder ). Each of the first-rounders paid off: Beason, Dan Morgan (when healthy), Jonathan Vilma and . Second-rounder Rocky McIntosh, third-rounders Tavares Gooden and and fourth-rounders , Daryl Sharpton and Leon Williams each started for at least one season. Twelve of the 13 (all but Perryman, who, again, is a rookie) have lasted at least three seasons in the NFL; Spence is heading into his fourth, and he will make it 11 of 13 who have lasted at least four seasons. Check out the top 10 players from Georgia to play in the NFL. 2. GeorgiaFirst-round picks past 15 years: 3Top three rounds: 10Total drafted: 13The skinny: The 13 draftees -- tied for fourth-most -- does not include , who was selected as a safety. There have been a lot of draftees and a lot of succe s stories. The first-rounders, though, have been a mixed bag. has started all 32 games in his two-year career, but has struggled in his first two seasons and David Pollack lasted just two seasons before having to retire because of injuries. Third-rounder is a pa s-rush force and a bona-fide star. Third-rounder Will Witherspoon started for nine seasons, and second-rounders Bo s Bailey and Kendrell Bell for five each. Second-rounder Odell Thurman was a starter in his only season before off-field i sues ended his career. Third-rounder is a journeyman talent who has been a part-time starter.1. USCFirst-round picks past 15 years: 4Top three rounds: 6Total drafted: 16The skinny: The 16 draftees ranks third in our time frame. First-rounder is a star; the other three first-rounders -- , and -- have had up-and-down careers. Cushing and Matthews were part of a 2009 USC draft cla s that included four linebackers; second-rounder (a six-year starter) and fourth-rounder Kaluka Maiava (a full-time starter for one season and a part-time guy in two others) were the other two. Seventh-rounder was MVP of Seattle's win following the 2013 season. Second-rounder Lofa Tatupu was a solid starter for six seasons. Fourth-rounder Markus Steele and fifth-rounder Zeke Moreno each lasted at least three seasons and started for one.Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter . 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