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NFL

J.K. Dobbins driven to show he belongs among best

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After topping all running backs last season in yards per attempt, J.K. Dobbins has taken over the lead role for the NFL’s top rushing attack.

Any concerns about a sophomore slump? Not after this sophomore slight.

During the Baltimore Ravens’ recent minicamp, it took Dobbins until only the second question to bring up how Pro Football Focus ranked him 26th among all NFL running backs.

“You know that chip on my shoulder is pretty big,” Dobbins said. “Just a little fuel, like PFF ranking me 26th … I don’t think I’m 26th, but I love that. That gives me room to improve. I’ve got people to prove wrong.”

Getting snubbed is not something new for Dobbins. Considered by some experts as the No. 1 running back in the 2020 draft, Dobbins fell toward the bottom of the second round and watched four running backs get selected before him.

Motivated by the slide in the draft, Dobbins finished as the second-leading rookie rusher last season, gaining 805 yards and scoring nine touchdowns. He also averaged nearly six yards per carry, at least one yard more than Jonathan Taylor (5.0), D’Andre Swift (4.6), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (4.4) and Cam Akers (4.3) — all the backs drafted before Dobbins.

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• “Shoot, it didn’t surprise me,” Dobbins said of the catch. “I’ve been doing that. I can catch the ball a little bit. I know I had a few mistakes last year, but this year, I’ve been working on eliminating those mistakes, even the little mistakes. I’m perfecting my craft and making sure I’m ready at all times to catch the ball, do all that stuff. So, it’ll be great this year.”

The Ravens haven’t had a young, all-around running back since Ray Rice seven years ago. Since that time, Baltimore has relied on stop-gap backs like Justin Forsett, Terrance West, Alex Collins and Mark Ingram II.

In order to have long-term success and prove the critics wrong, Dobbins said he understands it takes more than maintaining physical strength.

“I think a lot of people overlook mental strength,” Dobbins said. “The NFL season is a long season, especially for a rookie. It’s different than college; you play a lot of games. And mentally, you have to be ready. You have to be on point with your mental, because if you’re not, then your body, none of that’s going to work. I feel like I’ve been learning this offseason to have my mental ready, body ready, all of that. I feel like I’m locked and loaded.”

Soccer

Barcelona snap up Depay on free transfer

Memphis Depay will join Barcelona on a free transfer when his Lyon contract expires at the end of June.

The attacker, who agreed to a two-year deal with the Catalonians, is currently representing the Netherlands at Euro 2020.

The 27-year-old is Barcelona’s third free signing of the summer after the arrivals of Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia from Manchester City. Depay rolls into the Camp Nou following a stellar Ligue 1 campaign with Lyon in which he bagged 20 goals and 12 assists. He was second only to Kylian Mbappe in the league’s scoring charts.

Depay netted a penalty and helped create the second goal in the Netherlands’ 2-0 win over Austria on Thursday but has blown hot and cold over his first two outings at the European Championship. “Of course, he knows he can do better,” his national team boss Frank de Boer said on Friday.

Depay’s transfer to Barcelona reunites him with his former Netherlands manager, Ronald Koeman. He played 18 times under Koeman, scoring 11 goals.

Soccer

Ronaldo becomes 1st person to reach 300M followers on Instagram

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Instagram following has reached unprecedented heights.

The Juventus star became the first person in Instagram’s 11-year history to reach 300 million followers on the social media app, as ESPN FC notes. The only other account with more followers than Ronaldo is Instagram itself, which 397 million users follow.

WWE legend and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is the second-most followed person on Instagram with 246 million, and singer Ariana Grande trails behind him with 244 million.

In addition to the 300 million on Instagram, Ronaldo boasts 92.3 million followers on Twitter and another 148 million on Facebook.

Soccer

Eriksen 'fine under the circumstances' after health scare

Christian Eriksen made his first public comments since collapsing during Denmark’s Euro 2020 match last weekend, telling Instagram followers he’s doing “fine” and posting a picture with his thumb up from his hospital bed.

“Big thanks for your sweet and amazing greetings and messages from all around the world. It means a lot to me and my family,” Eriksen wrote.

“I’m fine – under the circumstances. I still have to go through some examinations at the hospital, but I feel okay.

“Now, I will cheer on the boys on the Denmark team in the next matches.”

Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest shortly before halftime during Saturday’s Euro 2020 match against Finland. The Inter Milan star had to be resuscitated on the pitch before being taken to hospital in Copenhagen, where his condition was stabilized.

The match was suspended in the immediate aftermath of the incident but resumed later in the day, with Finland beating Denmark 1-0.

Eriksen’s Danish teammates Kasper Schmeichel and Martin Braithwaite voiced their dismay at UEFA on Monday about the decision to resume the game.

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Soccer