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NFL

Rams' Donald absent; 'pay the man,' Peters says

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cornerback Marcus Peters is new to the Los Angeles Rams but has quickly developed an opinion on defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s contract situation.

“Pay the man,” Peters said Monday after the Rams’ first organized team activities workout.

Donald, a four-time Pro Bowler and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, did not report for voluntary OTAs on Monday because of an ongoing contract dispute. Rams coach Sean McVay said that he doesn’t anticipate seeing Donald until a resolution is reached.

“It is something that we want to get resolved,” McVay said. “As far as a timetable, don’t really have any dates on that.”

Donald, who turns 27 on Wednesday, is entering the fifth year of his rookie contract and is scheduled to earn $6.89 million, but he is seeking to become one of the highest-paid players in the league.

The Rams’ defense underwent significant changes this offseason to better accommodate defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme. Outside linebacker Robert Quinn was traded to the Miami Dolphins, and linebacker Alec Ogletree was dealt to the New York Giants.

The Rams acquired Peters in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs and cornerback Aqib Talib in a trade with the Denver Broncos. Defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh signed as a free agent.

“Aaron is a vet, man,” Talib said. “He’s going to take care of his own business. What’s his business is his business.”

Before addressing Donald’s situation, Peters said the offseason program played an important role in the development of chemistry.

“We’ve got to make it jell at the end of the day,” Peters said. “You can say that we’ve got all these big names and that you’ve got this person and that person, but if we don’t make it jell, then it ain’t going to do nothing for us. So we’ve got to come in and learn each other. It’s going to be a learning process for us throughout OTAs, going into minicamp and then going into training camp.”

Donald’s contract negotiations began after the 2016 season. He did not attend organized team activities last May but reported to mandatory minicamp. Donald then held out of training camp and reported a day before the Rams’ season opener without a deal in place.

“He and I have had good dialogue,” McVay said of Donald. “I spoke with him last week. This feels a lot different than last year. Certainly, any time that you have something where the team comes together, to have a player that’s as important as he is here, you would prefer that. But it is voluntary. We understand that, and we have a lot of respect and understanding for what’s going on.”

The Rams’ mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 12-14.

NFL

Manziel observes, throws a little at CFL camp

HAMILTON, Ontario — Johnny Manziel spent much of the first day of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ training camp as an observer.

The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner watched a lot of the session Sunday, a day after signing with the Canadian Football League club. Manziel threw while working with the five other quarterbacks and made short tosses to receivers, but knelt off to the side or stood with quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison during one-on-one pass drills and 7-on-7 sessions at Ron Joyce Stadium.

“That’s because he doesn’t know the terminology, he doesn’t know anything,” Tiger-Cats coach June Jones said. “Dan was walking through each route as it was called. But [on Monday] guess what? We’re going to walk in and start taking a couple.”

Manziel has plenty to learn about Canadian football. Standing on the field for the first time only served to further drive that point home.

Johnny Manziel threw while working with the five other quarterbacks and did short tosses to receivers, but spent much of the first day of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ training camp as an observer. Peter Power/The Canadian Press via AP

“Spacing is a little bit different on the defensive side if I had to look at anything,” Manziel said. “On offense, I’ve never ran this many routes that are predicated off of one defender … every route has an opportunity to break three or four different ways, which is different.

“But I think it gives you the versatility and offensive weapons to be able to attack coverages more intensely than it would just running a fixed route. I know it’s going to take some time, but now I see it more so, and my expectations are tempered.”

Hamilton’s other quarterbacks include starter Jeremiah Masoli, CFL veterans Vernon Adams Jr. and Bryant Moniz along with youngsters Dane Evans and Chris Merchant of the Vanier Cup-champion Western Mustangs.

Jones said the Ticats aren’t waiting for Johnny Football to become familiar with their offensive terminology and schemes.

“He’s got to catch up because we’ve got guys in there, and he will,” Jones said. “We have plenty of time in camp. I’d say in 2½ weeks he’ll have a handle on everything.”

The 25-year-old former Texas A&M star was selected in the first round — No. 22 overall — by the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL draft. He was released in March 2016 after posting a 2-6 record over two tumultuous campaigns.

Manziel actively pursued an NFL contract this offseason, throwing during pro days at both Texas A&M and the University of San Diego and participating in The Spring League — a development circuit for players overlooked by the NFL.

He has dealt with several off-field issues. In 2016, a domestic assault charge against Manziel in Dallas was dismissed after he took an anger management course and participated in the NFL’s substance-abuse program. In a recent interview, he said he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has stopped drinking.

The CFL approved the signing, saying that in December it began the process to determine if Manziel could join the league. Manziel had to meet certain conditions, including an assessment by an independent expert on domestic violence, a review by legal counsel and a discussion with commissioner Randy Ambrosie.

“I’ve been very upfront with my past and the fact that I haven’t been perfect by any means,” Manziel said. “Obviously, the magnitude of my mistakes in the past are something I’m definitely not proud of, but at the end of the day I feel like I’ve come a long way from that person that I was at that time.

“I feel I’ve grown a lot and feel through the mistakes I’ve made they’ve turned me into a better person, they’ve turned me into a man. I’ll never be able to outrun my past … the only thing I can do is grow and hopefully be a better person moving forward, and I have every intention of doing that.”

NFL

WR Williams arrested after Lamborghini crash

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams was arrested by Frisco, Texas, police early Saturday morning for public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor.

Cowboys receiver Terrance Williams was arrested for public intoxication early Saturday after he was found riding an electric bicycle near his residence. His Lamborghini had been abandoned after he hit a light pole. Courtesy: Frisco Police Department

The police found Williams’ 2017 blue Lamborghini abandoned after it hit a light pole in the area of Frisco Green Avenue and Lebanon Road, not far from the Cowboys’ practice facility, at 4:45 a.m. CT. After police determined that the vehicle was registered to Williams, the receiver was found near his home riding an electric bicycle and was arrested.

Williams was released from the Frisco Detention Center on a $369 bond. The police are continuing to investigate Williams for fleeing the scene of an accident, but no charges have been filed. Because the damage to the light pole was more than $200, Williams could be charged for striking a structure, fixture or highway landscaping, an offense that is a Class B misdemeanor.

In a statement released by his attorney, Williams said an officer he had met previously arrested him without performing a sobriety test. Williams said he was returning to the scene on a scooter to meet a tow truck driver.

The attorney, Chip Lewis, disputed the police account of Williams’ vehicle hitting a light pole.

“Terrance did not hit a light pole and there was no light pole even near the vehicle,” Lewis said. “Secondly, his arrest was wholly unrelated to the traffic accident.”

Williams said he veered into the center median to avoid a collision when a man driving a vehicle in front of him hit his brakes. The two exchanged insurance information and a neighbor drove Williams home, where the receiver said he called for a tow truck.

“I have always been an upstanding citizen and handled the situation the best way I know how,” Williams said. “I apologize if I should have handled it a little bit differently.”

Williams has been rehabbing from surgery to repair a broken foot for most of the offseason and has not been taking part in the offseason program and on-field teaching sessions. The Cowboys begin their organized team activities next week, and there was hope that Williams might be able to work some in the June minicamp.

Williams is in the second year of a four-year, $17 million deal he signed in 2017 to return to the Cowboys after testing the free-agent market. His $3.5 million base salary is fully guaranteed. The Cowboys have remade their receiver group in the offseason, with the release of Dez Bryant as well as the signings of Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson. The Cowboys also drafted Michael Gallup in the third round of last month’s draft.

Williams caught 53 passes for a career-low 568 yards last season and, for the first time in his career, failed to catch a touchdown pass in a game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NFL

Source: Cardinals trading for Browns CB Taylor

The Arizona Cardinals are trading for Cleveland Browns cornerback Jamar Taylor, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The Browns will receive a 2020 sixth-round pick in return, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Taylor, 27, started 15 games for the 0-16 Browns in 2017. He had one forced fumble and a half-sack while appearing in all 16 games.

The Browns had been trying to trade Taylor, a team captain, after they selected cornerback Denzel Ward out of Ohio State with the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft.

NFL Network first reported the trade.

Jamar Taylor is heading to Arizona in a trade, a source confirmed to ESPN. Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Taylor could fill a need for the Cardinals, who have sought a cornerback to play opposite Patrick Peterson.

A 2013 second-round pick by the Miami Dolphins, Taylor has three career interceptions (all in 2016) over five NFL seasons. He joined the Browns in a draft-day trade in 2016.

Taylor would be the sixth player traded by new general manager John Dorsey since taking over the team in December.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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