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NFL

Vikes' Diggs, Rhodes return after 'family' feud

EAGAN, Minn. — Stefon Diggs and Xavier Rhodes, both preaching “family first” but saying their competitive nature got the best of them, returned to practice Thursday after getting benched by Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on Wednesday.

The two players began jawing in practice Tuesday and had exchanged heated trash talk through Wednesday’s walk-through before Zimmer sat them down for Wednesday’s practice.

Diggs, who said there was no carryover into the locker room, said he had spoken with Rhodes and that the two have moved on.

“It’s not like we had to bury a hatchet,” Diggs said Thursday. “There was nothing there. Just two competitive guys wanted to go at it each and every day, that’s all.”

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It all started Tuesday when Rhodes intercepted a pass intended for Adam Thielen, and Diggs made several big gains on passes thrown into the corner’s coverage.

Diggs then caught a 50-yard touchdown pass during team drills and threw the ball into the stands. Rhodes stayed on the field for several reps and remained in at cornerback with the third-team defense.

After the heated chatter carried over into Wednesday’s walk-through, Zimmer let both players know they would not be practicing that afternoon.

“We compete each and every day, but foremost we’re family first,” Rhodes said Thursday. “It’s a brotherhood, and sometimes you’re just going to go through it. We came together as a team, we knew what we did wrong and we’re accountable for it. And they’re holding us accountable for it because we’re leaders of our team.”

Added Diggs: “If anybody who has siblings … you know, if you ever got into with your sibling over the last cookie, it’s always fun afterwards. For me, going out today, I’m excited to be practicing. I’m pretty sure he is. We’re just excited to be back to work.”

Zimmer’s decision to nip the incident before it intensified is something Rhodes said he appreciates about the way his head coach manages his players.

“With Coach Zim, you don’t know what’s coming,” Rhodes said. “He handles everything in an appropriate manner because he doesn’t want anyone to feel like they’re above anything — above the team, above the logo. That was his thing.

“By doing that, it lets us know we’re a family. We need to make up, give ourselves some time and come back together as a family and make up.”

Diggs offered an apology to fans who had been waiting for him during the previous day’s autograph session.

“I’m going to make it a priority and my business: If anybody didn’t get an autograph, I’m going to make sure they get one,” Diggs said.

After 11 full team practices, the Vikings will travel to Denver for their first preseason game on Saturday.

NFL

Raiders ask Pro Bowler Penn to take pay cut

NAPA, Calif. — The Oakland Raiders want Pro Bowl left tackle Donald Penn to take a pay cut, a year after he held out for and received a raise and contract extension from the team.

Penn, who is currently on the physically unable to perform list as he continues his rehab from Lisfranc surgery on his right foot, told reporters on Wednesday that he could not elaborate. He cited team policy that injured players are off limits to the media before saying, “You’ll have to ask them. You’ll find out before they tell me.”

Last summer, after taking part in the offseason training program, Penn held out of training camp and the exhibition season for 26 days. Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said at the time that he would not negotiate with a player not in camp.

Raiders left tackle Donald Penn held out of training camp and exhibition season for 26 days last year. Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Penn returned and received his two-year, $21 million extension in between Weeks 1 and 2 of the regular season. His string of 170 straight regular-season starts, a stretch that dated back to 2007, came to an end in Week 16 when he suffered the foot injury against the Dallas Cowboys.

There is no sense yet that Penn might be cut if he does not agree to the pay cut — he carries a salary-cap number of more than $8.38 million this season — though it was obvious he was not happy the story was “leaked” to the media.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported the development.

Penn, 35, is due base salaries of $6 million in each of the next two seasons but, according to ESPN Stats & Information, $3 million is fully guaranteed for 2018, with a roster bonus of $109,375 per game on the 46-man active roster with a max value of $2.75 million. He can also get a $300,000 workout bonus based on six weigh-ins, with $50,000 per weigh-in.

The Raiders used their first-round pick this spring on UCLA left tackle Kolton Miller, drafting him 15th overall, and he has been the starter all offseason with Penn on the mend.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden was asked Wednesday if he expected to see Penn off the PUP list and on the practice field soon.

“He’s getting close,” Gruden said. “H. Rod Martin, our trainer, is pleased with the progress that he’s made. Hopefully that time is soon.”

NFL

Shaq Thompson's pick draws comparisons to Wilber Marshall

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly has drawn comparisons to Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher since he entered the NFL in 2012.

Now 2015 first-round pick Shaq Thompson is being compared to another of Chicago’s all-time greats.

Coach Ron Rivera called the outside linebacker’s one-handed interception of a Cam Newton pass in the end zone to end Tuesday’s practice the best play he has seen in practice since Pro Bowler Wilber Marshall picked off a pass from quarterback Jim McMahon during Chicago’s 1985 run to the Super Bowl.

“It was a heck of a play down in the red zone,” Rivera recalled. “Wilber went up and made a great one-handed catch, too, and took off running. Shaq’s got that kind of ability, and that’s what’s exciting to see when a young man starts putting things together.”

Next thing you know Rivera will call the Carolina defense the “Monsters of the Midway II.”

Or at least the “Monsters of the Queen City.”

Coach Ron Rivera says Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson has traits similar to Wilber Marshall, the 1992 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Chuck Burton/AP Photo

If anybody has a right to make that comparison, Rivera does. He played with Marshall for four seasons (1984-87) in Chicago and was Urlacher’s defensive coordinator with the Bears from 2004 to ’06.

He knows what it’s like to be around great defensive playmakers, and Thompson is starting to show that potential entering his fourth season out of the University of Washington.

Rivera said Thompson displays other traits of Marshall, the 1992 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, as well. He believes it’s time the rest of the world sees that, especially with three-time Pro Bowl selection Thomas Davis out for the first four games because he’s serving a suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

All signs — at least for Thompson — point toward a great 2018 season.

Everywhere he looked, from license plates to billboards, on the 90-minute drive from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Wofford College for training camp, Thompson saw his No. 54.

“My whole mindset is this is the year of 54,” Thompson said.

Thompson began to emerge as a star last season. He started a career-best 14 games and had a career-best 57 tackles, which might not sound like a lot until you consider Kuechly had a team-best 125 and Davis 76 from the linebacker spot.

Thompson is light-years ahead of where he was as a rookie making the transition from college safety to hybrid linebacker.

“My first few years I would say I was like a blind mouse,” Thompson said. “I was just going. But I had great leaders like [safety] Roman Harper who told me to just go out and play.

“As I learned this defense by asking questions from TD and Luke, I started picking it up more and understanding the game more and how teams like to attack our defense.”

Tuesday’s interception was an example of how his knowledge of the playbook has paid off for Thompson. “[It] has helped me play a lot faster,” Thompson said.

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Here is how Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson saw his one-handed interception of a Cam Newton pass in the end zone to end practice – and how backup QB Garrett Gilbert ”chased him down.” Video by David Newton

Thompson didn’t finish the interception fast. As he jogged the final 30 yards to the end zone, backup quarterback Garrett Gilbert came running from the opposite side of the field to simulate making a touchdown-saving tackle.

“I wouldn’t say he chased me down,” Thompson said with a laugh. “Gilbert did a great situational play, chasing the defender down to make sure we didn’t score.”

Nobody likely would have chased down Thompson had that been a live play, as will be the case in Thursday’s preseason opener at Buffalo (7 p.m. ET). His 40-yard dash time of 4.64 seconds at the 2015 NFL combine was among the best for linebackers.

What kept Thompson from going higher than No. 25 in the draft were questions about where he would play. Some teams had him pegged as a safety and others as a hybrid linebacker.

Thompson also played running back in college, and he was lobbying Carolina offensive coordinator Norv Turner for a few carries on Twitter before training camp.

“I’ve been talking to Norv about it,” Thompson said. “He said just wait.”

Rivera will be satisfied if he sees more Marshall-like traits from Thompson.

Marshall’s stats after his first three seasons were far superior to Thompson’s. He had 31 starts, 202 tackles, nine interceptions and 11.5 sacks.

Thompson has five more starts, but only 159 tackles, one interception and three sacks.

But with more playing time in Carolina’s two-linebacker set while Davis is suspended, and possibly after that to keep Davis fresh, Thompson should put up his best numbers as a pro and make more spectacular plays like he did on Tuesday.

“Still continuing to learn this game,” Thompson said. “I’m trying to get up there with Luke and TD … still, performancewise. Just like Luke reading the plays, I’m still trying to get there.”

NFL

Malcolm Mitchell's departure alters look of Patriots' WR depth chart

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ decision to part ways with third-year wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell on Monday appears to be a situation where the club waited as long as it felt it could for his knee to reach a point where both were comfortable before making a roster move. Time just ran out.

Until Mitchell practiced regularly, his place on the team’s depth chart was questionable. The receiver position has been one of the top stories of training camp as the Patriots transition without Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks, and plan for life without Julian Edelman for the first four games.

The Patriots decided to cut ties with Malcolm Mitchell, who has been unable to come back from a knee injury that kept him out all of last season. Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Here are some of my thoughts on the way the depth chart looks:

Edelman (5-foot-10, 198 pounds): The clear-cut No. 1 option, he has been hard on himself for a few drops in practice and said this past Friday that his legs aren’t yet where they need to be as he returns from a torn ACL that cost him the 2017 season.

Chris Hogan (6-1, 210): He has usually aligned opposite Edelman in the two-receiver set and has also taken some punt returns. Given his familiarity with Tom Brady, he figures to be leaned on a bit more during Edelman’s absence.

Phillip Dorsett (5-10, 192): He’s been one of the notable performers of the first 10 practices — at times breaking off to a second field with Brady and a few others — and it’s hard to imagine him not on the initial 53-man roster at this point. His versatility to align in all the spots adds to his value and he’s clearly more comfortable in 2018 after having a full offseason with the Patriots.

Cordarrelle Patterson (6-2, 228): His primary value comes as a kickoff returner and covering punts, but there have been multiple “wow” touchdown catches, the most recent of which was a one-handed grab this past Friday. He projects as a niche No. 3-5 option at receiver, with gadget plays to get the ball in his hands likely part of the plan.

Eric Decker (6-3, 214): Signed to a one-year deal on Friday, he has taken part in just one practice with the team as he fills the void created by the release of Jordan Matthews. While he struggled to separate at times last year and had some notable drops, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ creativity and knack for effective route combinations should create opportunities for him to make plays.

Kenny Britt (6-3, 230): More of a traditional outside receiver, he has been working his way back from a hamstring injury and is not yet participating in 11-on-11 drills. He spent some one-on-one time with Brady this offseason on the West Coast, getting a jump start on attempting to be in the quarterback’s circle of trust.

Riley McCarron (5-9, 198): A first-year player from Iowa who spent last year on the practice squad, he saw an increase in repetitions with Brady over the past week. He’s more of a pure slot receiver who also returns punts, with his ability to do the latter likely his best chance to stick.

Braxton Berrios (5-9, 190): After missing most of the spring with an undisclosed injury, the sixth-round pick from the University of Miami has been working mostly behind McCarron to this point. He is similar to McCarron in that he plays the slot and returns punts, and seems to have a top-notch attitude and approach.

Devin Lucien (6-2, 200): While a long shot to stick on the roster, the 2016 seventh-round pick has made a few notable plays in practice that reflect why he’s still worthy of the coach’s time from a developmental standpoint.

Paul Turner (5-10, 193): The Louisiana Tech alum was put in a tough spot after being signed a few days into training camp, so he’s learning on the fly. He is competitive in drills.

Extra Point: Special-teams captain Matthew Slater (6-foot, 205) also warms up with the receivers, but his primary role is in the kicking game.

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