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Panthers wide receiver Torrey Smith believes the NFL âdropped the ballâ with its new policy that forbids players from sitting or taking a knee on the field during the national anthem.
Smith is upset because he feels like the ruling has created a âfalse narrativeâ surrounding the message former NFL teammate Colin Kaepernick was originally trying to convey while taking a knee prior to NFL games.
He said it also paints players as anti-American.
âGuys arenât against the military Derek Newton Jersey ,â Smith said. âKap originally started that against police brutality. It was never against the military. It was never about the military, but that narrative changed.â
Smith, acquired in an offseason trade with the Eagles, denounced the leagueâs ruling following Carolinaâs practice on Tuesday â its first since it was announced last week at the NFL owners meetings.
He said the restrictions imposed by the league on players go against the beliefs that protesters like Kaepernick have stood up for the past couple years.
âWhen you see reactive policy ⦠I always think thatâs a problem,â Smith said. âEspecially when the message has been changed. ⦠It makes it seem like Kaepernick or Eric Reid and the guys who started it, what they did was in vain â like they were villains. And that is not the case.â
Smith reacted quickly to the leagueâs change in policy on social media last week.
He tweeted : âAppropriate respect for flag and anthemâ implies that guys were being disrespectful towards it. Which is an opinion. Most people who believe that ignore the responses from the players and more importantly why men chose to protest.â
Smith was teammates with Kaepernickin San Francisco in 2015 and 2016 and got to know him well.
The league made the decision to fine teams whose players donât stand during the national without consulting with the NFL Players Association. There have been protests in different cities since the ruling came down with claims the league is interfering with the right to free speech.
Smith believes the NFL made a mistake bringing the issue â one he felt like was dying off â back to the forefront.
He said the leagueâs policy to fine teams for players protesting likely will only serve to âstir things up â between players and owners this coming season.
âYouâre being told to be quiet, when it could have been done together to figure out what we can do to move forward and what would be best for the players Logan Woodside Jersey ,â Smith said.
Smith has long been outspoken on public matters because he feels the platform of being a professional athlete should be used for the betterment of society.
âItâs going to be a long-term process, and weâre just trying to do our part,â he said. âThatâs essentially what the protests started with and we have to continue with. Itâs not so much about the protests but the work going forward.â
Smith said he was disappointed, but not surprised by the league ruling.
âAt the end of the day, the league is about money, itâs a business,â Smith said. âTo try to silence those guys when theyâre trying to do the right thing for our country Tyrann Mathieu Jersey , I donât know what to say about it.â
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â Germain Ifedi was back with the first unit in training camp Monday, two days after Seattle coach Pete Carroll yanked the starting right tackle from the lineup during the Seahawksâ scrimmage.
The embattled offensive lineman is hoping to keep his starting spot, but didnât help his cause in Saturdayâs scrimmage when he was flagged for a false start and a holding penalty. Carroll had seen enough.
âYeah, I was real disappointed in that,â Carroll said. âReal disappointed.â
Penalties plagued Ifedi last season when he was flagged 20 times, the most penalties for any player in the NFL. New offensive line coach Mike Solari had a long conversation with Ifedi on the sidelines after he was pulled from the scrimmage.
âWe want Germain to be disciplined,â Solari said Monday. âIt was unacceptable. Just unacceptable and he knows it. We want to give him immediate feedback. Itâs just concentration.â
Ifedi was a first-round draft choice out of Texas A&M in 2016 Anthony Zettel Jersey , but has yet to live up to the lofty expectations. The offensive line overall struggled most of the 2017 season, but Ifedi received most of the ire from the fans for his inconsistent play.
Ifedi knows his must eliminate the same mistakes that resurfaced Saturday.
âIt was a learning experience,â Ifedi said. âWe know that pre-snap penalties are unacceptable. Itâs a lesson. You take the good things you did and move on.â
Ifedi said Solari told him he has to stay calm in every situation and that composure will be key.
âCoach saw something on the field and he thought it was a good time to take me out and let me cool off. I was fine with it,â Ifedi said.
Ifedi was replaced by Isaiah Battle in the scrimmage. Battle is a fourth-year player from Clemson who was acquired in a trade with Kansas City last season. The Seahawks could also opt to move George Fant to right tackle. Fant missed all last season after suffering a major knee injury in the preseason and is backing up Duane Brown at left tackle.
Solari said last week that the best five players will start on the offensive line. He told Ifedi what he expects of him if Ifedi hopes to remain the starter.
âGermainâs a good football. Heâs working on his technique. For a coach, itâs never quick enough, but we are demanding that he do it right,â Solari said.
Solari is expected to use more man-on-man blocking and less of the zone-blocking concept that predecessor Tom Cable employed. The Seahawks want to return to being more of the power-running team they were with Marshawn Lynch.
The Seahawks signed veteran guard D.J. Fluker to improve their run blocking. The other expected starters are Brown Mario Addison Jersey , second-year player Ethan Pocic at left guard and Justin Britt at center. Seattle also signed veteran guard J.R. Sweezy last week. Sweezy began his career with the Seahawks in 2012 and started on the Super Bowls teams in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
The unitâs first test will come Thursday night when Seattle opens the preseason against Indianapolis. And there will be plenty of attention on Ifedi.
âItâs a big week for me with a new coach,â Ifedi said. âMike is a great coach and you can tell he really cares about us. Thereâs pressure every year to get better and step up your game. You have to constantly evolve.â
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| Beitrag vom 05.09.2018 - 04:56 |
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